Giaufret: CSM must be formed; I am convinced that the talks will continue

The head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, is convinced of the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In his interview with RTS, he did not reveal the details of the amended Franco-German proposal but said that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities had to be formed.

Commenting that the amended proposal from Brussels arrived in Belgrade and Pristina, Giaufret says that these are diplomatic negotiations, which are of course very delicate.

"The presidents will give their comments. I think we should underline that we have the possibility, as the EU has already said, that everything that has already been agreed upon must be implemented, including the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. But in terms of urgency, we have the opportunity to take a step towards a legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina," Giaufret said.

As for further steps, he noted that the dialogue would continue.

"The EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak, who was in Belgrade and Pristina a few days ago, will submit a report in Brussels. I am convinced that the talks will continue," Giaufret says.

On the occasion of the EU-Western Balkans Summit held yesterday in Tirana, Giaufret said that the summit had been very important and that an important political message had been sent from it.

"Let's not forget that the Summit was held in the shadow of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which had threatened both European and global security, so we have to stick together. Yesterday, European leaders sent a very clear message to the countries of this region and emphasized that the European Union was fully committed to this matter - that the countries of the Western Balkans became its members," Giaufret said.

According to him, the message had never been clearer, they also had called for the acceleration of the process, and it had also been heard that, especially in these geopolitical circumstances, it was time to speed up reforms, take steps, and harmonize policies.

In Tirana, the leaders also discussed energy, security, and migration. The final declaration was also signed.

"Very concrete steps have been taken so that the citizens of the region can feel the first benefits as soon as possible. First of all, in the field of energy, which is a global problem today due to the large increase in prices. A large aid package in the amount of one billion euros was announced for the region, and 500 million euros were allocated for direct needs - mitigating the consequences of the energy crisis. Out of that money, 165 million will be for Serbia alone. That money will arrive very quickly, already in January," Giaufret says.

He added that those were the funds intended for families who were faced with price increases and difficulties caused by the energy crisis, which they would receive through the Government.

"The second part of the package is intended for the improvement of the energy infrastructure, and diversification. We have also worked a lot in the previous period to facilitate people's communication. But yesterday's signing of the Roaming Declaration by the telecommunications operators of the Western Balkan countries and members of the European Union will reduce roaming costs next year with the intention to eliminate it in the coming years. And that is a very important step; citizens of Serbia will already feel the benefits next year when they travel to the EU countries," the head of the EU delegation to Serbia said.