Italy offers to back Serbia's EU bid

Gianfranco Fini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, stated in Belgrade on Monday that Italy would like to be the first country to ratify the European Union's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, according to a Government of Serbia press release.

Fini, who is on a state visit to Serbia, met with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic. The SAA outlines the provisions for a future EU candidate country, and must be signed by each individual EU member state. Fini said the Italian parliament's willingness to be the first to ratify Serbia's agreement signaled the importance of getting Serbia on the road to EU integration.

Acknowledging Italian support, Cvetkovic expressed gratitude to Fini for his parliament's encouragement with respect to Serbia's bid to join the EU.

Further discussions between the two leaders were reportedly focused on economic cooperation, and the prospect of Italian participation in regional projects in infrastructure, transport and energy sectors.

Source: Xinhua