Brussels, 23/11/2105 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 21 November, European Council President Donald Tusk spoke of his support for opening the first EU accession negotiation chapters with Serbia “very soon”.
“I hope that the Council will agree to open the first accession chapters very soon”, Tusk said after his meeting with Serbia's prime minister, Aleksandar Vucic. He stated that this “will be an important step in what is always a long, challenging but in the end also a rewarding and transformative process”. Tusk hailed Belgrade's achievements and progress on the path to EU accession. On 10 November, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargment Negotiations Johannes Hahn had said that the first negotiation chapters could be opened before the end of the year (see EUROPE 11428). This could be Chapter 23, which deals with financial control, and Chapter 35 on the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo (see EUROPE 11379). “The future of the Western Balkans lies inside the European Union, and there is no better alternative for the region”, Tusk stated.
He also said that the EU was determined to stand by Serbia in the migration crisis. “The challenge we face is unprecedented in scale, and requires our close and continued cooperation if it is to be managed properly”, he said, reiterating that Belgrade could count on the EU's continued politcal and financial support. Tusk stated that he would call on the European leaders to step up their support to the Western Balkan countries. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)