Serbia Submits to EU Member States List of Steps That It Plans to Take On Its Path to Membership

Brussels (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

Serbia has submitted to the member states of the European Union (EU) an informal document containing a list of short-term steps that it intends to take to prompt a decision to open Cluster 3 in its accession negotiations with the Union, the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) reported on Nov. 29.

Among the steps outlined in the non-paper as those that Serbia plans to implement at the beginning of December are updating the voter register in line with the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), launching the procedure for selecting a new council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), introducing visas for third countries in accordance with the EU's visa policy, and securing the full operationality of its gas interconnector with Bulgaria, the Serbian public service quoted diplomatic sources in Brussels as saying.

The document also highlights Serbia’s commitment to fully aligning with EU legislation by the end of 2026, and meeting transitional benchmarks in the area of rule of law for Chapters 23 and 24 of the accession negotiations by the end of 2025. Belgrade will also respect the Agreement on the Path to Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, agreed last year, and the authorities in Serbia will refrain from unilateral actions without consulting the EU.

The EU's member states will again discuss opening Cluster 3 in the accession negotiations with Serbia on Dec. 4, as they failed to reach a consensus on the matter last week. Hungary, which holds the Council of the EU’s presidency, has announced that the topic was on the agenda of a Dec. 3 meeting of EU ambassadors.