‘This is an important step for the country in facing its recent past, which is difficult but essential for Serbian society to go through. This is not only important for Serbia, it is the key for the reconciliation for the whole region,’ according to a communiqué issued jointly by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and the European Commissioner, Štefan Füle.

The communiqué reiterates that full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and continuing with the domestic processing of war crimes are ‘crucial elements for stability and reconciliation in the region and for Serbia’s EU accession perspective’.

The Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, has described the Serbian Parliament’s declaration as proof of the country’s ‘unequivocal desire’ to heal the wounds of the past and move closer to the European Union.

It is an ‘important step forwards’ which demonstrates the ‘conciliatory and pro-European nature’ of the ruling coalition and which will help Serbia and the region’s other countries to ‘come to terms with their tragic recent history and consolidate the road to reconciliation’, he said.

Stabilisation and consolidation of the European perspective of the Western Balkans is one of the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, which has called a high-level meeting in Sarajevo in June to mark the tenth anniversary of the Zagreb Summit, at which Europe pledged to help those countries on the road towards democracy and prosperity.

The Serbian Parliament’s declaration condemns, in the ‘most vigorous’ way, the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, when Bosnian Serb forces ended the lives of around 8 000 people. It was approved on Monday, with the backing of the ruling coalition parties, lead by the Serbian President, Boris Tadić. It was rejected by the nationalist opposition.