There are three main reasons why EU member states are opposed to opening Chapter 3 with Serbia: the country’s close ties with Russia and China, the lack of progress in negotiations with Kosovo, and stagnation in meeting the obligations of Cluster 1, which includes the rule of law, media freedom, and the fight against crime and corruption.
These same criticisms of Serbia were outlined in the latest annual progress report from the European Commission (EC) regarding Serbia’s EU accession process.
Bojana Selaković, coordinator of the National Convention on EU Negotiations, told NIN that there is still room for some member states to change their stance, but the obstacles have already been identified.
“These three issues have already been recognized as the biggest impediments to Serbia’s European integration, and this is highlighted in the European Commission’s annual reports. They show modest progress in Chapters 23 and 24, which deal with the rule of law and security, as well as in Chapter 35, which concerns the normalization process with Kosovo. In recent years, Chapter 31, which deals with foreign policy and security and the political relations between Serbia and Russia, has become an increasingly problematic issue. With each new round of EU sanctions against Russia, the alignment between Serbia’s foreign policy and the EU has decreased,” she said.
“According to the latest EC report, this alignment has dropped to 51%, and the EU’s concerns regarding Serbia’s close ties with Russia and China have been emphasized.”
Despite the stagnation in negotiations, Serbian officials remain optimistic about the country’s European future.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has recently reiterated his statement that Serbia will meet some of its obligations by 2026, and he expects the Union to make certain strategic decisions during the coming year.
He further emphasized that the EU has previously accepted countries that were less aligned with EU law than Serbia is today.
