BELGRADE -- "All existing commitments" under the Brussels agreement will need to be implemented for chapter 35 in Serbia's EU talks to be opened, says Johannes Hahn.

The EU commissioner for regional policy told the Belgrade-based CorD Magazine that "although some good progress has been made, there is still more to be done."

Considering the fact that the opening of the first chapter in the negotiations between Serbia and the EU depends on the implementation of the Brussels Agreement, we asked officials from the Office for KIM for the list of the agreements, which Serbia has implemented so far. 

The Brussels Agreement was signed in April 2013 by the then Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo, Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci. On 22 May, both PMs agreed in Brussels about the plan for implementation of the agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. 

Minister of European Integration Bekim Collaku said in an interview for the Austrian paper Der Standard that the Agreement on Stabilisation and Association (SAA) with the EU is in the process of being translated and once completed, “we expect to sign it.” “We believe this will happen very soon. In April or May,” said Collaku.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has assessed that many obstacles are in Serbia’s path toward the EU membership, including the issue of Kosovo, and he invited Brussels to no stipulate Serbia’s association process with severing the ties with Moscow.

Balkan is the biggest security hole in Europe, which was recognized and by terrorists, because most of the arms that they are using is coming from the region, according to the Vienna daily "Kronen Zeitung".

List indicates that the assassins in Paris used a weapon that is originating from the Balkans, where currently, according to estimates, there are four million unregistered weapons on the black market.

For decades, criminals of all kinds, use Balkan route as a "criminal highway" to and from Europe.

Koha Ditore’s Brussels based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, writes that many officials in Brussels and other capitals make many statements and praise results reached by the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. “One gets the impression that this dialogue not only resolved the vital issues for the people of Kosovo, but it also saved the world from the third world war. The bitter truth stands in the fact that this dialogue has resolved a few problems, however it caused more obscurity and illusions,” writes Palokaj.

Serbia has the greatest interest to impose the issue of protection of its property in Kosovo on the agenda of the upcoming talks with Pristina.

Said Rasim Ljajic to Vecernje Novosti, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism:

- Pristina will try in every way to avoid this issue, and the part of the international community. But Belgrade has invested heavily in building infrastructure and businesses in Kosovo. We have no right to raise our hands of it.

The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, was received today in Rome by the Acting President of the Republic of Italy, Mr. Pietro Grasso. Jahjaga and Grasso discussed the overall development in Kosovo and the region, as well as special emphasis was paid to the Kosovo’s European integration, the commitment on internal reforms, the rule of law and economic cooperation between Kosovo and Italy. Jahjaga highly praised the help that Italy has given and continues to give to Kosovo, especially the support provided through KFOR and EULEX.

Bekim Collaku, the Minister of European Integration, today met the working group on visa liberalization. Collaku briefed the relevant institutions on visa liberalization process and was informed on the remaining challenges in this process.  The working group discussed the remaining criteria in the implementation of the roadmap for visa liberalization. "The government of Kosovo has agreed with the European Commission to send a final report on the implementation of the remaining criteria.

DAVOS -- Aleksandar Vucic says it is possible to foster friendly relations with Russia and be a member of the EU at the same time, and that Serbia is "nobody's puppet."

"Serbia is not Russia's or anyone else's puppet," the prime minister told the Swiss tabloid Blick, adding that he "said in Russian President Vladimir Putin's presence that Serbia wished to join the EU."

Vucic stressed Serbia is "close to Russia,"but its goal was to be part of the EU, and that he "hoped and was doing everything to make that happen in 2019."