Pisonero: EK analizira reformske agende Srbije i ostalih partnera sa ZB

BRUSSELS-The spokesperson of the European Commission for Neighborhood and Enlargement Ana Pisonero declared that the European Commission is currently analyzing the reform agendas planned by the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, submitted by partners from the Western Balkans, including Serbia, and stated that these reform agendas will need to include an explanation of the measures that will contribute to alignment with the EU's foreign and security policy. “The Commission is currently analyzing the reform agendas submitted by partners from the Western Balkans, Serbia, and other partners from the Western Balkans,” Pisonero said at a press briefing in Brussels. She recalled that the adoption of the reform agendas would be carried out through the Commission's implementing decision, and that the Commission would consult with member states beforehand. “The assessment is ongoing,” Pisonero stated. She explained that obtaining financial support within this instrument would depend on the successful implementation of reforms, which will need to be agreed upon with the Commission, covering both socio-economic reforms and those concerning EU foundations. Pisonero was responding to a journalist's question about whether the relations of certain Western Balkan countries with Russia would affect the first payments from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, stating that there are several conditions and prerequisites. When it comes to alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), she added, it is included as a specific goal within the context of the reform agendas. “This means that in the reform agendas, countries will need to explain how these measures, measures they intend to take within their reform agendas, are expected to contribute to progressive and continuous alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, which includes restrictive measures,” Pisonero said. Regarding Serbia's relations with Russia, she pointed to a statement by the European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano, who at the briefing, when asked to comment on Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that the EU expects Serbia to refrain from intensifying relations and contacts with Russia. He added that the EU expects all members of the Serbian Government to respect the obligations that Serbia voluntarily assumed when it comes to EU accession, including alignment with the EU's foreign policy decisions and actions. (September 5)