It cannot thrive alone

On March 1st the EU Council granted Serbia the status of candidate country for EU accession. In relaying the news, president Herman Van Rompuy said: "Now a new chapter is opened in Europe’s relations with Belgrade". Following the meeting of the presidents of the Bishops Conferences of South-East Europe in Strasbourg (March 5-7), Maria Chiara Biagioni, Sir Europe correspondent, interviewed Msgr. Ladislav Nemet, secretary general of the International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius that includes Serbia, Montenegro and the ex-Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia.What do you think of Serbia’s first step towards the EU?"It’s a great joy, not only for us Catholics but for all Serbian citizens. Serbia has been seeking to undertake the path towards Europe for many years. Our neighbours have already gone a long way, such as Croatia and Montenegro. For us it’s a sign of hope. Many Serbian citizens work in European Union countries, for them this is the norm. But when they come back home they see and they feel they’re in a completely different Serbia".Why ‘different’?"Our country suffers a high rate of organized crime and corruption, and most worryingly, crime and corruption influence the political realm at all levels. That’s why we hope – although I don’t know whether this hope will become reality – that proximity to the European community and to European institutions will help Serbia build a more democratic Country, more open and attractive to foreign investors. At present, given the country’s chaotic legislation, which is neither transparent nor clear, such investments aren’t encouraged. The question of confiscated property, nationalised after World War II and not yet returned to their legitimate owners, is still hanging. Also the Church has major problems to this regard".What are the most urgent problems?"The autonomous province of Kosovo that proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2009, remains a hot issue. A modus vivendi was achieved owing to pressure by the international community. But the political question of the recognition of Kosovo is still open. Because of ongoing efforts made by our government to clarify this situation a great deal of energy is being lost, which could instead be used to improve the daily situation of our fellow citizens. Serbia goes from one economic crisis to the next. And unemployment – another major problem in the country – reached 27% of the overall population. However, these statistical figures do not take into account black labour. And government is lacking the resources to cover social security for the education and health sectors". Do you believe that by entering the EU Serbia risks ending up like Greece? "I don’t think so. We say with a smile that Greece is still doing fine, or rather, it’s doing better than Serbia. Our funds mostly derive from the money sent by Serbian citizens living abroad, which amount to 5 billion euro per year. Without this money Serbia would go bankrupt. Drawing close to the EU also means participating in interregional projects with countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Hungary – as significant minority groups from these countries are present in Serbia. A small country like Serbia cannot thrive alone , it needs cooperation and investments". Why should Europe say yes to Serbia? "Firstly to boost the security of European citizens. Unless basic problems related to corruption and organized crime are solved, there will be repercussions also on Europe. Some of the most notorious narco-traffickers come from this region. There is a legislative and control gap, which enables the use of these Countries for narco-trafficking, as well as weapons and human trafficking".What could Serbia give to Europe? "To this regard, the Churches and the religious communities can provide a living example of the rebordering process. It’s a slow process, since man’s heart is had to reach. I think that the deepness of reconciliation depends on factors that are explicitly human. Religion works where there is a sound humanity. Also the economy plays an important role. The success of the European project and of French-German reconciliation after World War II was linked to great ideas, to Christian values and enlightened projects, but it was also targeted at economic development. To give the possibilities to countries like Serbia to develop means to invest in a safe future for everyone. However, the costs of a fragile peace are far below the costs of a war".