European Forum

Netherlands gives up its resistance on ratification of SAA between EU and Serbia

The Netherlands will give up its resistance against closer cooperation between the EU and Serbia if the upcoming report of Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz in the second half of June is positive. As a consequence, the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), signed in the spring of 2008, but immediately blocked by the Netherlands demanding Belgrade’s full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, can start. According to the head of the Serbian government office for cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Dušan Ignjatović, the report does not have to include the term “full cooperation” which was for a long time a demand of the outgoing Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen.

Director of the Dutch Foreign Ministry Department for Southeast and East Europe Caspar Veldkamp said in Belgrade on 7 June that the Netherlands could give its consent for the EU Council of Ministers to start the ratification of the SAA with Serbia if the Brammertz report will again, just as in December of 2009, be positive. This was confirmed by Verhagen, who added that the ratification of SAA can only start if the report confirms that “Serbia is doing everything to arrest the two remaining fugitives, especially Ratko Mladić”.

Serbia’s Deputy PM Božidar Đelić stated after the meeting with Veldkamp that “what we heard is an indication of a positive outcome, but he said that there will be an additional consultation between the Dutch parliament and government this week”. Asked whether anything could change after today’s parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, Đelić said that in terms of ratification the position will not change, but the fact that there are elections in the Netherlands and Belgium is an aggravating circumstance for the expected second step, which is “forwarding of the nomination to the European Commission for consideration”.

Source: Volkskrant, BuZa and B92