Costa Starts His Balkan Tour in Belgrade, Says EU Committed to Its Enlargement, the Ball Is in Serbia’s Court

Antonio Kosta (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

European Council President Antonio Costa in Belgrade on May 13 said that in the country’s EU integration process, “the ball is in Serbia’s court”, and appealed to the Belgrade authorities not to waste time and to rather implement the necessary reforms and take advantage of the current momentum in the EU.

“Enlargement is based on building trust. I know that many people, not only in Serbia, but also in the region, have lost faith in this process, but I came here today to assure you of my personal engagement and full commitment of the EU to achieve results in the enlargement process,” Costa told reporters after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

He also said that the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo was crucial, as well as Belgrade’s clear condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The ball is in your court now and please do not waste time, because the future will not be waiting, so let's open this cluster and continue with Serbia’s successful integration into the EU,” he said.

Commenting on Vucic’s attendance at the Moscow Victory Day Parade despite the opposition from Brussels, Costa said the Serbian president explained that he had attended a ceremony celebrating an event in the past. “But at the present, Serbia is fully committed to the EU accession process and is aware that it requires full alignment with our common foreign and security policy. We cannot change history, I completely understand that, and also that Serbia celebrates liberation, but we cannot celebrate it without condemning an ongoing invasion of another country,” he said.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Vucic said he was aware that many officials in the EU had disapproved his trip to Moscow, adding though he hoped they would be understanding and that Belgrade would soon be able to open cluster three in its accession negotiations with the EU.

Vucic also said he was happy with the meeting with Costa, which had also addressed the dialogue with Pristina, preservation of peace in the region, the necessity of implementing reforms in Serbia, and his trip to Moscow. “Costa presented goodwill in the talks about Serbia's accession to the EU (...) The EU is a partner of the greatest importance for us, with whom we have the largest volume of bilateral trade and services,” Vucic said.

After the meeting, Vucic also said that no European official had inquired about or requested from him to schedule a snap parliamentary election, which had been recently demanded by the protesting students in Serbia.

“No one from Europe has requested from me to call an early election. No one has asked me about that, or whether we have released those who have been involved in criminal activities or have forced their way into institutions. Also, I have not heard any request from the EU regarding the alleged use of a long-range acoustic device, or about my conduct while visiting in hospital the patients injured in the fire in Kocani in North Macedonia,” Vucic told the news conference at the Palace of Serbia. He once again stressed that Serbia would pursue its EU path, stressing that the country would “step up the reform process.”