Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the European Union’s failure to reach consensus on opening Cluster 3 in Serbia’s EU accession negotiations was not a surprise.
In an interview with Radio Television of Serbia, Vučić said the outcome was expected and that Serbia should focus more on infrastructure projects and economic development.
“Everything was more or less expected. We should focus more on roads and railways than on groups of chapters,” Vučić said.
According to diplomatic sources, several EU member states opposed opening Cluster 3, citing concerns over the rule of law situation in Serbia, Belgrade’s failure to align with EU sanctions against Russia, and insufficient progress in the European integration process.
Other countries, while not openly blocking the move, reportedly assessed that the conditions for advancing negotiations had not yet been met, including concerns regarding media freedom in Serbia.
The European Commission had recommended opening Cluster 3 in July, but EU ambassadors failed to reach the required consensus to approve the proposal.
During the interview, Vučić also commented on the participation of a Serbian government representative at the funeral ceremony of Iran’s Supreme Leader, saying the decision was linked to the fact that Iran does not recognize Kosovo’s independence.
