Gojkovic:Serbian parl't to be equal participant in EU talks

BELGRADE - The National Assembly of Serbia will be an equal participant in the process of EU accession talks, Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic said Thursday.

The resolution on the parliament's role and principles in negotiations is already being implemented in the EU accession process, Gojkovic said at the final conference of the EU Twinning Project, dubbed 'Strengthening the capacity of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the process of European integration'.

Gojkovic underlined that Serbia uses the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds in this phase of the talks in a responsible and efficient manner, which shows that the country is ready for independent decision-making regarding its own priorities and projects related to the near future in the best possible way.

"Over the past years, these funds have been a significant contribution to the balanced regional and rural development, employment growth, infrastructure development, restoration of hospitals, schools, social welfare centers, innovation in production technologies, and environmental protection," she said.

Gojkovic thanked the EU member states and institutions on the exceptional cooperation and assistance provided to Serbia in the process of legal harmonization and the EU accession talks.

She also underlined the significance of the support provided by the international organizations, non-governmental sector, universities, media, and, above all, citizens and local partners.

"Working side-by-side with them, we are trying to understand this process as best as we can and make use of the benefits that are available to us through the pre-accession programs and EU funds," said Gojkovic.

She stressed that...