Serbian PM Meets with EU Ministers: Rule of Law Cluster Practically Open

Ana Brnabic, (BETAPHOTO/SERBIAN GOVERNMENT/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC/DS)

After meeting with EU ministers at an inter-governmental conference in Luxembourg, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated in the evening on June 22 that the first cluster of the chapter dealing with the rule of law in negotiations between Serbia and the EU “has practically been opened.”

Portuguese Foreign Minister Ana Paula Zacarias pointed out that at the conference on “the political management of the new enlargement methodology” Serbia had “now” concretely accepted the new methodology in negotiations on EU membership.

EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said that the fist cluster was open, and that Serbia had made significant progress in reforms and can now expect the opening of new clusters, adding also that “Serbia must achieve results.”

Ahead of the meeting Brnabic said that the holding of the conference is a serious and positive signal for Belgrade and the country’s European path.

The prime minister, who headed the Serbian delegation at the conference, also said that Belgrade “did everything” [on its part] and that she “guarantee[s] that no other country has done more than Serbia in the area of the rule of law in the past several months.”

EU Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimovic, who was also a delegation member, said that by accepting the new methodology in negotiations with the EU Serbia “has proved that it is very serious.”