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Vladimir Medjak, vice president of the European Movement in Serbia, has said that “political pressure on universities and police intrusion, are not compatible with the EU integration process,” recalling that “Chapter 26 (Education and Culture) has been provisionally closed.”
Reopening this chapter is “a political matter,” he told the May 19 issue of Belgrade daily Danas
“One of the fundamental principles in accession talks with the EU, which is written in the negotiating framework that we accepted in 2014 when the negotiations opened, is that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. It is also stated that all chapters are closed provisionally and that the negotiations can be finalized after the last one has been closed,” Medjak specified.
“If a country backslides, it is possible to reopen a certain chapter and again negotiate on how the state will fulfill its commitments”, he explained, and warned: “If that happens, it would really be the nuclear option. And that is a credible threat.”
Medjak also said that if the European Commission proposes the reopening of Chapter 26, it would be difficult for the member states to prevent such action, as it would require qualified majority of 14 countries to vote against the initiative.
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