European union
The EU Council of Ministers has concluded that the conditions for opening chapters in negotiations on membership with Serbia did not exist and that progress was necessary on the issues of democracy, an independent justice system, freedom of expression and the media, Michael Roth, Germany's minister for Europe, said in Brussels on Dec. 8.
He said this at the end of a two-day session of EU foreign ministers replying to journalists who asked him what was impeding the opening of, say, at least one new chapter in talks with Belgrade.
"The Council of Ministers has concluded that the conditions to open a new chapter have not been properly met," Roth said.
Roth explained that if debates "establish progress in the key issues of media pluralism, democracy, political pluralism, freedom of expression, reconciliation in the region, the independence of the judiciary, then it would not be too hard to go further and open a new chapter."
Roth added that the EU's foreign ministers had not succeeded in agreeing on when to start membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, and that they also did not adopt the expected conclusions on enlargement in the Western Balkans.
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