interview
Carl Bildt
Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Unfinished
Business Few politicians in the EU understand Serbia and the Balkans like Carl Bildt. He was co-chairman during the Dayton Peace Conference in 1995 and spent many of the following years working in the region. So it’s no surprise that the current Swedish Foreign Minister retains an interest in the EU ambitions and future of Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina
EXCLUSIVE
C
8 |
112 February 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com
arl Bildt, the former Swedish Prime Minister, EU/UN Special Envoy to the Balkans and High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, has had a busy week. There has been the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the Syria peace conference, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland and the continued protests and destabilisation in Ukraine. All of which makes it remarkable that Sweden’s current Minister for Foreign Affairs found the time to grant an exclusive interview with CorD about Serbia’s EU ambitions, the Kosovo normalisation process, the ongoing political stalemate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU threats to curb the visa-free travel regime for Serbian citizens, the World War I centenary and more. Bildt unsurprisingly remains a passionate advocate of the EU and the benefits that come with membership. He is also quick to praise the progress made in the Balkans, in the last year especially, and reinforces the fact that ultimate sovereignty and responsibility for Serbia’s future remains