On the evening of Tuesday 22 June, Portuguese Secretary of State Ana Paula Zacarias welcomed Serbia’s ambition to open clusters 3 and 4 of the EU accession negotiation chapters “when the conditions are met” (see EUROPE 12419/2), at the end of the first political intergovernmental conference with Serbia.
These clusters focus on competitiveness and inclusive growth and on the green agenda and sustainable connectivity. Ms Zacarias also welcomed Belgrade’s efforts to open these clusters of chapters.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi highlighted the “considerable progress made in Serbia, both on the Rule of law and clusters 3 and 4”. “I hope this will create a new momentum for all of us”, he added.
“We also concluded that according to the new methodology (of the EU accession negotiation process), cluster 1 is already open, so we can move forward during the Slovenian Presidency (of the EU Council) to boost Serbia’s accession process”, the Commissioner announced, but warned that this would require Serbia to be up to the task.
Cluster 1 covers the basics. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)