In an interview published by Politika, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn said that he would like to see opening of the first chapters soon and that he is in Belgrade to help Serbia to finish all that needed to be done.
He said that Serbia can count on his support in terms of helping the EU member states to reach the required unanimity, but for that to be achieved, Serbia must maintain its efforts in implementing reforms and remain committed to the dialogue with Kosovo – clear progress on both fronts would give him the best arguments that he could use in convincing member states.
Hahn noted that chapters 23, 24 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and 35 (Kosovo) are a priority in the negotiation framework of Serbia’s EU accession talks and that this was the joint position of all members states. Therefore it is very important for Serbia to make clear progress in these issues in order to convince the member states of its clear commitment to EU values and interest, he said.
He said that in comparison with other, the chapter 35 aims to follow Serbia’s progress in normalizing its relations with Kosovo. He recalled that it was a political issue, because in many ways it depends of political will and that conditions for opening the chapter 35 are clear from the beginning and would require improvement of the work on the implementation of the agreement with Pristina.
When asked about announcement made by Blerim Shala, Coordinator for talks with Belgrade, that Serbia would need to sign agreement with Kosovo in 2016, as required by Germany, and that without it Serbia would not be able to make progress towards the EU or to become a member, Hahn said that he was not familiar with this date or the document with this content.
