Mrkic: Serbia never closer to getting EU date

"Everyone insists that there will be no new conditions. I am confident that no one can say that we do not fulfill our promises. On the contrary, the international community has recognized our good will and policy of cooperation we demonstrate every day," Mrkic said. "I am not here to measure whether the progress is sufficient for making a positive decision on the date, but I can say that it is quite visible and that everyone has welcomed it," Mrkic told Belgrade-based daily Vecernje novosti, and added that our chances for obtaining the date are much greater than seven months ago. Asked to what extent Serbia is ready to make concession when it comes to the request for setting up the association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo, the foreign minister said it is important for the association to get serious powers. "I can say that this is a minimum below which we will not go," he pointed out. Speaking about the national leadership's strategy for the coming period, which will be crucial for the decision of the European Council, Mrkic said that "in the coming months we will have a battle in which we will prove that we have made significant progress in meeting the existing requirements - the fight against corruption and crime, judicial reform and resolving the issue of Kosovo."