Serbia

"Serbia ready to open negotiating chapters"

BELGRADE -- Serbia's chief negotiator with the EU Tanja Miscevic has said that Serbia is ready for the opening of negotiating chapters with the EU, including chapter 35.

BELGRADE - Three companies from Serbia stand ready to join the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme EMAS III, an EU environmental protection management system that allows participation by companies from countries outside the EU, Secretary of State at the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Stana Bozovic said Thursday.

BELGRADE - An EU-Western Balkans forum will be held in Belgrade on Friday, with interior and justice ministers expected to adopt guidelines for further fight against international terrorism, organised crime and corruption.

The forum will take place under the auspices of Italy, which currently holds the EU presidency, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has told Tanjug.

PANCEVO - The Armed Force of the Russian Federation will donate 10 military parachutes to the Special Brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces.

The protocol on donation was signed in Pancevo on Wednesday by Special Brigade Chief of Staff Miroljub Cubic and Russian Defense Attaché Valery Volkov.

After a four-hour meeting on December 10, lawyers' representatives and Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic reached an agreement on tax rates for lawyers, which was one of the reasons why lawyers went on strike in mid-September.

Tax rates will rise by 10 per cent instead of by 40 to 300 per cent, as the Justice Ministry had intended in June.

"Kosovo part of Serbia, separate politics and sports"

MOSCOW -- Russia considers Kosovo to be a part of Serbia, the Russia Federation's Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said in Moscow on Thursday.

He was commenting on the decision earlier this week of the International Olympic Committee to allow Kosovo to join as a member.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister of Economy Zeljko Sertic said on Thursday 6 projects would be completed by mid-2015, which would allow Serbia to count on EUR 50 million in funding from the Eu.

These projects, based on which Serbia will be able to apply for funding from EU institutions, were created in cooperation with the National Agency for Regional Development.

BELGRADE - Serbia's national airline Air Serbia will resume flights between Belgrade and the Croatian capital of Zagreb after a 23-year break on Friday.

Air Serbia will offer two services a day, the carrier has said in a release.

After Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic decided not to attend a summit in Serbia next week, due to cooling Croatia-Serbia relations, the country's Foreign Minister, Vesna Pusic, has stepped in to go instead.

On Tuesday, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will host leaders from Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Keqiang.

"First obligations from agreement, then chapter 35"

BELGRADE -- Germany will give its consent for the opening of Chapter 35 only after the obligations deriving from the Brussels agreement are fulfilled.

Germany also wants Serbia to clearly demonstrate its willingness to continue the dialogue with Pristina, the German embassy in Belgrade released on Thursday.