Trichet: Serbian govt EU integration policy is impressive

BELGRADE - Chairman of the European branch of the Trilateral Commission Jean-Claude Trichet has said that the Serbian government policy of progressive EU integration is clear, impressive and convincing.

Serbia marches towards reforms in economy and other aspects that are required for EU accession, Trichet told Tanjug in an exclusive interview during a meeting of the Trilateral Commission, held in Belgrade.

The programme is obviously ambitious and takes time, he pointed out.

When asked to comment on the recent incident during a football match between Serbia and Albania and give his opinion on what shouldbe done to keep the region stable and prevent more incidents like that, he responded that it was the duty of the match organisers to make sure something like that did not happen again.

Trichet believes the upcoming meeting between Serbian and Albanian government officials will be a very good sign that the incident will be forgotten and that the two sides will move forward.

When asked if Serbia would be able to help achieve peace in Ukraine once it takes over the OSCE chairmanship on January 1, 2015, considering its good relations with Russia, Trichet did not answer directly, but stated that the Serbian prime minister's view was perfectly clear.

He thinks the Serbian government wants to be as actively responsible as possible, but he would not say anything more, except that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's position regarding Russia and the EU was perfectly clear.

Trichet underscored the importance of the Triletaral Commission's meeting in Belgrade.

The members of the commission are honoured and grateful that the Serbian government and group within the commission have invited them...