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31. March 2003 - Monday |
CoE endorsement law adopted by union
BELGRADE – The Serbia-Montenegro Parliament today approved the law endorsing the Council of Europe’s Statute, thus clearing the way for full membership.
The law was passed with an almost unanimous vote – 74 Serbian MPs and 29 Montenegrin MPs backed the move, while just 6 Serbian MPs voted in opposition.
During the earlier debate of the Statute, only the Serbian Radical Party had opposed the move, insisting that adoption of the law during the state of emergency was in breach of the Council of Europe’s principles.
Federal Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic told parliamentarians that Serbia-Montenegro’s membership of the CoE would be the first solid step towards integration into the European Union.
Svilanovic said: “We have a long way to go, but we can only walk to the end of this road if we take this first step – integration into the oldest European
organization”.
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