Brussels, 01/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn believes that two negotiation chapters should be opened by the end of the year as part of Serbia's negotiations for EU accession.
“I'm sure that, bearing in mind the contribution and actions of the Serbian government, the first chapters could be opened by the end of the year”, Hahn announced in an interview with Serbian news agency Tanjung on Sunday 30 August.
These would be the chapter dealing with financial control (32) and that on the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo (35). Hahn added that Chapters 23 and 24, which have to be opened at the start of accession negotiations, should also be opened early next year.
In Hahn's view, the progress report on Serbia, which the European Commission is due to publish in October, will be “positive”. This would “not be a surprise” after “what has happened in recent months”, he believed. Serbia and Kosovo signed four agreements on 25 August as part of the negotiations on normalising relations between the two countries (see EUROPE 11375). In the opinion of Serbia's Prime Minister Alexandar Vucic, this progress lifts all barriers to opening the first chapter of accession negotiations.
Several EU member states would like progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina before opening accession negotiation chapters. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)