Joksimovic, Austrian Minister: Summit with EU Offers Opportunity to Send Clear Signal to Western Balkans

Jadranka Joksimovic (Beta/Milan Obradovic)

The Serbian minister in charge of the country's accession to the European Union (EU), Jadranka Joksimovic, spoke over the phone with Austrian Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler to discuss an upcoming EU-Western Balkans video conference, pointing out that the summit would offer a chance of developing cooperation in key areas, the Serbian government reported on May 4.

The themes the two ministers discussed included bilateral cooperation, Serbia's EU accession and preparations to roll back lockdown measures required by the coronavirus pandemic in both states.

Minister Edtstadler shared her country's unwavering support to the Western Balkans, explaining that the fact that the summit hadn't been postponed or cancelled showed the EU's readiness to keep the region in focus, the cabinet said in a press release. She underlined that Serbia and the region enjoyed Austria's support on their path to full membership of the Union, and that her country would continue to support and promote a credible EU enlargement policy and the EU accession of the Western Balkans.

Joksimovic and Edtstadler agreed that the upcoming conference would be a unique opportunity to demonstrate joint readiness to advance cooperation in key areas and secure a dynamic accession process, with the Union's comprehensive economic incentives.