President Barroso congratulates Serbian Prime Minister Vučić on his appointment

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On 27 April, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent the following message of congratulations to Aleksandar Vučić (pictured) on his appointment as Serbian prime minister:

"Dear Prime Minister,

"I warmly congratulate you on your appointment as Prime Minister of Serbia at this crucial juncture for the relations between the European Union and Serbia in the first year of accession negotiations. I look forward to working together with you on this demanding endeavour, on the basis of shared values and common goals.

"The Serbian people have entrusted you with a clear mandate and a great responsibility to pursue, as a central priority of your government, Serbia’s European integration and the process of reform.

"Serbia has already taken important steps on its path towards the European Union and I am confident that under your determined guidance, Serbia will succeed in addressing the key challenges ahead. This concerns notably the good functioning of all democratic institutions, the strengthening of the rule of law and enhancing in practice the respect of all fundamental rights. Serbia is confronted with severe economic difficulties. the European Commission therefore aims to help you in improving economic governance and carrying out the necessary structural reforms that will ensure sufficient growth and the competitiveness of your economy.

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"Serbia is a key player in south-eastern Europe. I therefore expect it to continue making a central contribution to the region's stability and to regional cooperation and reconciliation in particular. In this context, I invite you to move ahead in your courageous efforts in the normalisation of relations with Pristina. Continued progress in this crucial dialogue will need to go hand in hand with the accession negotiations.

"I wish you and your government every success and look forward to our cooperation.

"Yours sincerely, José Manuel Durão Barroso"

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