Bundestag waiting for European Commission report

In order to open accession talks with the EU, Serbia will have to meet certain conditions defined by the Council of the EU last December. One of these conditions is a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo. As members of the Bundestag, we cannot assess whether these conditions have been met. This is why we rely on the opinion of the European Commission, which carries out a comprehensive analysis, Krichbaum told the daily Vecernje Novosti in an interview. Asked whether Serbia will be required to sign a declaration on good-neighborly relations with Kosovo and whether it is expected to recognize Kosovo at some point, Krichbaum said that such a declaration, in due time, would certainly help. Both countries will have to learn to co-exist peacefully and build a future together in the region, said Krichbaum. He said he expected a very good conversation with Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and members of the Serbian delegation whom he will meet Wednesday in Berlin. The impression that Germany is the most rigorous and demanding out of all EU member countries when it is comes to Serbia's integration is false, said the German MP. At the recent European Summit, it was not Germany that blocked the opening of Serbia's accession talks, it was other countries, said Krichbaum without naming the countries. He added there is consensus among the political parties in the Bundestag about Serbia's European future, and that Germany, like every other EU member country, is insisting on reforms in Serbia.