Europe, decide at once or leave us alone!

First they tell us it`s not possible to join before 2014, then they tell us 2010 is fine, then they tell us they will slow down the process after accession of Bulgaria and Romania, then they tell us we`ll get in at 2009 if we let Kosovo to become independent, then they stop negotiations with us and finally this…

Grrrr, this really sucks…

And honestly, I wish they just leave us alone… I`m sick of Unions and stuff… Let Serbia be independent at once… Even if that means less wealth for us…
Just to finaly feel how is it to enjoy the benefits of what you do (instead of having to take care of other republics and keep feeding them)… To feel proud to be Serbian again (since this pride was heavily lost in last 50-60 years or was misinterpreted)…

Anyhow, the second news is that our economical reforms are quite good and that we are growing quickly… Not that we feel it that much because inflation is still quite high, but yeah, one can see impact of recent investments in Serbia… Belgrade is booming (was voted as SEE City of Future), Novi Sad is emerging as a big business center, Nis is still struggling but soon after the elections the improvement will be seen, Kragujevac is finally on a good way (after signing a strategic partnership between Zastava and Fiat), Indjija has become the best municipaity in the whole region etc…

First extradition, then candidacy in 2008

15 November 2006 | 13:02 | Source: Beta

BELGRADE — The EU expects the next Serbian Government to extradite Ratko Mladić in a very timely manner.
If this is taken care of, Serbia will become a candidate-country for European Union membership in 2008, according to daily Blic.
Blic’s source adds that the EU will conditionally continue the discussions for signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement by the summer of 2007, if the new Serbian Government accepts the obligation of arresting Mladić with a definitive deadline for doing so.
The EU no longer believes in the Action Plan and is looking for a new date to be set, according to the daily. The source also says that Schengen visas could also be included in the package if all technical details are taken care of.
If this was to happen, Serbian citizens would be able to travel freely through the European Union without the need for visas, once Serbia becomes a candidate-country in 2008.

Serbia shows fastest growth

15 November 2006 | 08:48 | Source: B92

LONDON — The EBRD stated that Serbia has shown the greatest amount of economic growth this year in Southeast Europe.

In the latest Transitional Report for Economic Trends in Southeast European countries, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development stated that Serbia had a 6.3 percent economic growth rate this year.
However, the region in total suffered a drop in economic productivity, from 6.9 to 4.7 percent, mainly because of Romania’s slumping economy.
In addition to Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria had good showings this year, with rates near six percent. The two countries will be joining the European Union in January.
The EBRD stated that industrial growth, mainly in the metal sector, a growth in exports, and larger domestic consumer demand linked to the expansion of crediting activity by banks, are responsible for the economic progress in the region.
Of all the former Communist countries, those of Southeast Europe have shown the most progress since last year, mainly because of the promise and perspective of joining the European Union many have received.
Still, the region is still very much behind Central Europe economically, a region which has show tremendous growth in recent years.