Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, has expressed frustration following the European Union’s decision to reject the opening of Chapter 3 in negotiations with Belgrade. In a statement on RTS, Vučić played the victim and mentioned his confusion regarding what Serbia had done wrong to the Bulgarians, while also voicing complaints about the Croats.
“Thank them if they open Chapter 3, thank them even if they don’t. What matters is that we continue to fight and negotiate with everyone,” Vučić said to Radio Television of Serbia regarding the lack of agreement among EU members to open new chapters in the negotiations with Serbia.
EU member states once again failed to reach an agreement on opening Chapter 3 in negotiations with Serbia. This chapter includes eight areas: digital transformation and media; taxation; economic and monetary policy; social policy and employment; entrepreneurship and industrial policy; science and research; education and culture; and customs union.
The main reasons for the rejection were Serbia’s misalignment with the EU’s foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia, the unclear geopolitical stance of Belgrade, issues with the rule of law, and relations with Kosovo.
Hungary, as the current EU presidency holder, announced that the debate on this issue would continue next week. The time for an agreement is running out, as the intergovernmental conference for opening the cluster, if it occurs, must take place between December 16 and 20.
In yesterday’s session, eight countries were involved, including the three Baltic states, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, along with Croatia and Bulgaria.
“If God were to ask me what we have done wrong to the Bulgarians, I wouldn’t know how to tell you or explain it. I think I understand the real reasons, even though you will never hear them. And I understand everything about the Croats; it’s not a big problem for me to understand. For us, these are two important pieces of news: we must continue the fight and talk to everyone,” said Serbia’s President.
