Gert Jan Koopman (BETAPHOTO/Serbian Parliament/Pedja Vuckovic)
On Jan. 20, Gert Jan Koopman, director-general at the European Commission's Directorate-General Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, met with Serbian officials and MPs in Belgrade and discussed European Union integration and the current political situation in Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced in an Instagram post that he had briefed Koopman "on the progress Serbia is making in the reform process," adding that he expected these efforts to be recognized.
Koopman and Ana Brnabic, the speaker of the Serbian parliament, discussed matters crucial to the continued fulfillment of conditions Serbia needs to meet to open Cluster 3 in its accession talks, which covers competitiveness and sustainable development, the appointment of members to the Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Council, the working group to advance election conditions, the implementation of the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform Agenda of Serbia, the parliament said in a press release.
Koopman stressed the EU's readiness to support Serbia in its European journey, in line with Serbia's ambition to complete accession preparations by the end of 2026.
He voiced the conviction that Serbia would soon achieve the actions it undertook to carry out in December 2024, including those related to the key areas of the rule of law, which member states have said would lead to the long anticipated opening of Cluster 3, a press release noted.
In talks with representatives of the ruling majority in the parliament, Koopman said Serbia had made significant progress in reform processes in the previous period and pointed out the necessity of cooperation between all political actors in the parliament to make headway on the path to EU Integration.
Koopman also met with Serbian Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Jelena Begovic and discussed Serbia-EU cooperation in the process of building and developing a BIO4 campus in Belgrade.
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