Hannes Swoboda, Vice-President of the Socialist Group and Democrats in the European Parliament, in an interview for FOCUS News Agency.

FOCUS: Mr. Swoboda, the first question I ask you, is associated with Kristalina Georgieva hearing. What are your impressions?
Hannes Swoboda: I got two impressions during the hearing. Firstly, Ms. Georgieva has thorough knowledge, knows her assignments very well. Of course, she is not yet commissioner with relevant experience, but she has great experience and her overall personal presentation and the way she communicated with MEPs was extremely satisfactory.
We are very happy that we received first class quality as a nomination from the Bulgarian side, though not quite in time.

FOCUS: So you think she was the right candidate?
Hannes Swoboda: I think Ms. Georgieva was the right candidate for the post, her candidacy has already been approved, and I think that there is no doubt that she will be part of the new EU Commission after the vote on its composition next week.

FOCUS: In terms of previous candidate - Rumyana Zheleva do you think that her nomination was somewhat positive in the sense of that revealed weaknesses in the approval procedure of the candidates?
Hannes Swoboda: Firstly, we have nothing against her personality. We are not talking about leading a personal vendetta against Ms. Zheleva. We are very sorry for what she had to know. But this always happens if the government did not nominate the right person, suitable for the post, but someone who is capable as an individual but not for the intended post. Maybe she did not respond well to the personal accusations.
We wish all nominees to be first class for each post. On the other hand, we can not accept someone who does not have the qualities to fulfill specific obligations only because we do not want to break the peace or to be nasty to a person or government.
I think now we can relax and we are very happy that Bulgaria could propose such a capable woman.

FOCUS: Several questions about the Balkans and EU enlargement to the western part of the peninsula. Do you think the plan proposed by the governments of Austria and Greece for the enlargement of the Balkans is too optimistic?
Hannes Swoboda: The initial proposal, which comes from the Greek Prime Minister was indeed too optimistic and the new plan is somehow more flexible with regard to specific dates. Years ago I proposed the year of accession to be 2014, which is 100 years after the outbreak of WWI. But reality shows that we should fix this. Maybe 100 years after the end of World War I - 1918 - 2018 was a possible date for accession. If the plan in 2014 means that all countries which have not yet joined the EU, have begun the process of negotiations and this year there is a clear vision for when each country could join, then I might agree. But 2014 is not a date for accession but a date to obtain a clear vision when the rest of the region should be integrated.

FOCUS: Do you think it is possible Croatia to be become an EU member state in 2012?
Hannes Swoboda: It is hardly possible, because only if we manage to complete negotiations this year and hold very tight and fast process of ratification, it would be possible. But sad thing is that in some countries it is difficult to achieve such a schedule. Of course, the most important thing is to finalize the negotiations and to proceed to ratification, maybe in 2013. The latest date would be in 2014 when the next European Parliament elections will be held, but I hope that we can handle earlier.

FOCUS: Regarding Macedonia, there still is the unresolved name dispute with Greece, which is an EU member state. Do you think there are prospects for recent progress in resolving this dispute?
Hannes Swoboda: Let's hope so. For me and many others we should not have problems with the name as an impediment, and we must begin negotiations, but of course it should be clear that this issue must be resolved. If a neighboring country has similar provisions, the application is not possible. I think we need to exert much greater pressure on both sides to reach an agreement. Compromises are so obvious, they are clear to everyone outside observer. Once that is now Greece's Plan 2014, it should fully support Macedonia. If Macedonia wants to demonstrate its pro-European orientation, it must also be prepared to make concessions.

FOCUS: How do you see the European commitment to Kosovo, having in mind that it is not recognized as an independent state by some EU member states?
Hannes Swoboda: We can not compel member states to recognize Kosovo, especially countries that are worried about separatist sentiment and hold internal discussions, like is the case with Spain. On the other hand, I can see a chance for integration of the entire region. Then this problem will be solved automatically. If all join the EU this issue will not be a real burden. It will take time. Meanwhile, all would be to refrain from provocations and putting of this issue to the fore. For many people their life does not change from whether the name is Kosovo, or Kosova, whether they have independence or not. They want food, they want land to process, seeking work outside agriculture, if are not part of this sector, these are things that worry people. And the more attention is paid to it by the authorities and the Kosovo Serbs in Kosovo, the better. We have some good examples of cooperation between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians and other ethnic groups, etc. Some villages are indeed an example. It is possible that ethnic groups can coexist, the question of recognition should be postponed and priority must be the interests of the people – to have work, family, home, something to eat, rather than the question of recognition or non-recognition.