European Commission expects that Kosovo chapter won’t block the start of negotiations between Serbia and the EU. Serbia should, due to its good progress, open first chapters, most probably, in the first half of 2015, writes Deutsche Welle citing Brussels official.

The European Enlargement Commissariat said to Deutsche Welle that “Serbia is focused on the European agenda, it progresses well and shows high level of readiness”, carried Beta.

Belgrade has so far either launched or closed the process of screening (analytical review) of 18 out of 35 chapters from the pre-accession process, what is more than a half of the total number of chapters.

In the European Commission expect the process of screening to be concluded until March next year, and negotiations to continue with same successful opening of individual chapters in negotiations.

“Position of the European Union is that chapters 23 and 24 should be amongst the first ones to open (rule of law and freedoms), what also refers to chapter 35 (Kosovo related matters), explained spokesperson of the European Commissioner for the EU Enlargement Peter Stano to Deutsche Welle. He added that opening of chapters 23 and 24, since the report on screening of these two chapters was adopted in July by the Council of the EU, now depends on the pace of development and the quality of action plans which Belgrade is due to submit for adoption to the Council and member states.

“When it comes to chapter 35, member states want to see there that Belgrade continues with efforts in implementation of what was agreed in the dialogue with Pristina. Screening of that chapter is still ongoing and it is related with the progress in dialogue, which has ceased due to political situation in Kosovo. That is something for what Serbia can’t be held responsible,” explained Stano.

In the diplomatic circles in Belgrade say that there is a scenario by which Germany would wish chapter 35 to be the first one to open in negotiations with Serbia. Hence, they reminded that decision on what chapter, and when, will open, has to be brought by consensus of all member states.

Majority is against the slowdown of Serbia’s progress due to political crisis in Kosovo and current ‘lack of a counterpart’ for continuation of dialogue, however they expect implementation of what was agreed in Brussels, writes Deutsche Welle.

The second scenario, for which sources in the European Commission say that ‘stands good chances to be realized’, is about opening chapter 32 (financial control) as the first one in negotiations over Serbia’s EU membership.
That chapter doesn’t’ have so called ‘conditions for opening’, whereas Greece, being the presiding state in the EU, would ask Serbia to submit the plan on negotiations in that area.

Even though they said that ‘theoretically’ that chapter could open until the end of the year, what Serbian government expects too, in European Commission repeated the expectation that first chapter could open in the first half of the next year, writes Deutsche Welle.

It was announced by the European Commission that, as every other year, the progress report on Serbia will be published in October. It is expected that this time EC won’t come forward, in that strategic document, with the specific recommendations for continuation of the Euro-integrations of the state, since ‘Serbia is already the state candidate in negotiations’, instead it will bring assessment on so far achievements and future challenges.

“Serbia has a clear European perspective and stands in the last phase of joining the Union. After we open the first chapter in negotiations, that will mean that the state continues with good fulfillment of the undertaken obligations and that European Union is fulfilling its portion of the task, and that, on the basis of the achieved, it brings Serbia closer to the membership,” say in European Commission.