Director of the Office for EU Integration Ksenija Milenkovic voiced expectation on Tuesday that Chapters 35 and 32, relating to Kosovo and financial control, will be opened as part of Serbia’s EU membership talks by the end of this year.
We expect that Chapters 23 and 24, on judiciary and security, will be opened soon after that, Milenkovic said at the opening of the International Scientific Conference: “Serbia and the European Union – Preparations for Negotiations on Chapter 23 and 24.”
She stated that the European Commission (EC) accepted the Action Plan for Chapter 24 in early September, which relates to justice, freedom and security, while last week the body accepted the plan for Chapter 23 as well – judiciary and fundamental rights.
The next is presentation of the action plans to EU member states, meaning the European Council, after which the preparation of the negotiating position will follow, as well the opening of negotiations.
Milenkovic stressed that Chapters 23 and 24, as well as Chapter 35, will mark the course of accession negotiations, because they will be the first to be opened, and the last to be closed at the end of the negotiating process.
This is according to the so-called new approach to all EU candidate countries, which the EC adopted after Croatia’s talks.
Milenkovic also said that the burning issue of migration is related to Chapter 24 and can influence the course of negotiations if the policy on this issue within the EU itself changes.
