President, PM with Koopman on Serbia’s Obligations within EU Integration

Gert Jan Koopman (BETAPHOTO/Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Djuro Macut had separate meetings in Belgrade on June 11 with the head of the European Commission’s Directorate for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood, Gert Jan Koopman, and discussed the fulfilling of Serbia’s obligations on the EU path, including judicial laws, laws on improving the electoral process and the forming of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM).

The Serbian government has stated that Vucic and Macut emphasized the need for intensifying activities on adopting the remaining legal solutions and carrying out reforms according to European standards, so that Serbia could accelerate preparations for opening the remaining clusters in the accession process.

“Particular emphasis was laid on the time frame for realizing the remaining obligations by the end of June, including the adoption of laws and other reform measures that are important for strengthening the rule of law and continuing the accession process. Further meetings were scheduled between the representatives of the Serbian government and the European Commission, to enable the timely monitoring of progress and the fulfilling of the envisaged dynamic of activities,” the government stated in the media release.

Koopman welcomed Serbia’s efforts in the carrying out of reforms to date, saying that he expected the reform process to continue with the same intensity, along with constructive dialogue with European institutions. Previously, Koopman talked with Vucic about the dynamic of the reform agenda, the matters of common foreign and security policy of the EU and the new initiatives aimed at providing additional incentive to the enlargement policy. According to Vucic, the talks focused on intensifying work in the field of rule of law, that is fulfilling of the transitional standards in Chapters 23 and 24, and the carrying out of recommendations from the European Commission’s annual report.