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So far, Serbia has not opened a single chapter in the negotiations on accession to the European Union in 2020. The Serbian Government tells Radio Free Europe that there were many elements to open the chapter and they point out that this year is not over yet. For some EU officials, however, the failure to open a chapter speaks for itself.
That is, the Intergovernmental Conference with Serbia was not held in June and no new chapters were opened at that time. This is the first time since Serbia began negotiations that no chapters were opened in the first half of the year.
There were many elements for the opening of the chapter, because the informal report on the situation in the rule of law, that is, chapters 23 and 24 (justice and fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security), which was made instead of the Report of regular annual progress, it gave many important elements on which the decision to open new chapters could be based, “he said. CSR Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of European Integration of the Government of Serbia.
It adds that Serbia had five fully ready negotiating chapters, three of which are expected to open in 2018.
“The decision of several member states not to support the opening of new negotiating chapters with Serbia in June 2020, and to allow others what they were previously denied in December 2019, was a political decision and a message sent in context of numerous geopolitical changes “. said Joksimović, recalling that in December 2019, Serbia was the only country in the region that made progress in the field of European integration.
European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir BilchikHowever, he believes that the fact that Serbia has not opened any chapter in the negotiations on accession to the European Union in 2020 speaks for itself. He told H1 that if there is no progress in the rule of law, the fight against corruption and other reforms, no new chapters will be opened.
Joksimović on Bilčik’s assessment
When asked to comment on this assessment by the rapporteur for Serbia, Bilčik, Minister Joksimović said that she hoped that he would contribute to the realistic presentation in the European Parliament of the progress that Serbia is making in all chapters.
Rapporteur Bilcik may not remember that in previous waves of enlargement, when geopolitical circumstances were favorable for enlargement, some countries, thanks to political decisions and the support of individual EU members, opened and closed chapters and eventually acceded. to the EU without objective criteria. , which was later demonstrated in terms of insufficient functionality within the EU, “said Joksimović.
The European Commission’s annual progress report on Serbia and other candidate countries is due to be presented on 6 October. The latest progress report was released in May 2019, and this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the reports moved from spring to fall.
The regular semi-annual report of the European Commission on the rule of law in Serbia, which RFE learned in June, said that Serbia was seriously behind in key areas, including judicial independence, the fight against corruption, freedom of the press and crimes of war and fight against organized crime.
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