Joining the EU is a long process that has no end in sight and its criteria for membership is constantly changing, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić in response to President of the European Council, Charles Michel’s statement that the EU must be ready for expansion by 2030.
“The first reason is that the process takes so long, and there is no end in sight. The second is that the criteria or what you need to do to progress are constantly changing,” said Brnabić, who represents our country at the forum.
Serbia was identified as a potential candidate for EU membership in 2003, and in 2009, it formally applied. By 20212, Serbia had EU candidate status, and in 2013, a Stabilisation and Association Agreement came into force. In December of the same year, the negotiating framework was adopted, and the first intergovernmental agreement was held in January 2014.
Over the last 10 years, 22 out of 35 chapters have been opened, and two have been provisionally closed. However, according to the European Commission, there have been no updates since December 2021.
During the negotiations, observers have noted that Serbia has made very little tangible progress. Reports from international organisations such as Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House, and Transparency International, amongst others, have noted backsliding in many key areas.
Furthermore, in the 2022 Country Report published by the EU, matters such as slowing reforms, failure to align with EU security goals vis a vis Russia, limited progress in combatting corruption and organised crime, and issues impacting minority rights were identified.
The next report is scheduled for publication in October 2023.
While the government says EU membership is a strategic goal, public support for accession is less than 50%, the lowest in the region.
(Jelena Nikolić | EURACTIV.rs)
Read more with EURACTIV
Croatian banks’ profit up since eurozone accession
Source: euractiv.com
