European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated in Brussels that Serbian authorities must clearly articulate their strategic orientation and refrain from rhetoric against the European Union, emphasizing that she will adopt a much stricter approach on this matter moving forward.
Presenting this year’s enlargement package, which includes reports on the progress of candidate countries toward EU membership, Kos also stressed during a press conference that Serbia must align more closely with the EU’s foreign and security policy.
“The Serbian authorities should clearly state their strategic choice and avoid rhetoric against the EU. I will be much stricter on this issue. They should also demonstrate more proactive and objective communication regarding Serbia’s accession process,” Kos declared.
Kos, who dedicated more time to discussing Serbia than any other candidate country, noted that the Serbian authorities “continue to proclaim EU membership as a strategic goal,” but warned that such statements “must be followed by concrete actions.”
“Although some positive developments have been observed recently, for example in the area of media legislation, Serbia must achieve credible progress in several key areas, particularly to overcome the current stalemate in the judiciary and the protection of fundamental rights,” Kos said during a joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas.
Kos further stressed that Serbian authorities should “urgently reverse the decline” in freedom of expression and academic freedom, underlining that “Serbian citizens are demanding this as well.”
