[05/March/2010]

BRUSSELS, March 5 (Saba) -- Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic met here Friday afternoon European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and exchanged views on EU-Serbia ties, economic situation of Serbia and reforms in view of Serbia's application to become an EU member, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Barroso said that in the past three months there was important progress in EU-Serbia ties He pointed out to the EU approval of the visa liberalisation regime, the entry of the EU-Serbia Interim Agreement and the application by Serbia for EU membership.

"All these steps testify Serbia's strong commitment to move forward on the EU integration path," he said.

"It is fundamental for Serbia to guarantee an independent and efficient judiciary. Let me also stress again that full co-operation with the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) is essential," stressed Barroso.

ICTY is a United Nations court of law dealing with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990's.

On his part, the Serbian Prime Minister said not "only economic and financial reforms but reforms in other areas like, judicial system, also cooperation with The Hague and generally introducing the common European value and system into Serbia, this something to which Serbian Government is very much committed."

Saba