European integration of the Balkans/Kos: The conversation with President Vučić was not easy

2025-03-28 22:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

European integration of the Balkans/Kos: The conversation with President Vu?i?

The Commissioner for Enlargement in the European Union, Marta Kos, spoke about one of the most important processes in the Balkans, namely integration. Focusing on the situation in Serbia, Kos stated that the talks with the Serbian president were not easy.

Kos made these statements in an interview with a media outlet in Slovenia.

"Serbia will be able to enter the European Union when it has a people as strong as it has today, who are vigilant about what their politicians are doing. This has already proven to be very good in Slovenia in the past. As I said before, without the involvement of civil society, there can be no enlargement process. I trust the Serbian people to guide their European Union politicians in such a way that Serbian politicians can become members of the European Union," Kos said.

Responding to a question about the reactions to her Twitter post after the meeting with the Serbian president and following a massive protest held on March 15 in Belgrade, Kos said that it is difficult to explain everything with 280 internet characters.

"I respect different opinions. I understand that those who have been protesting in Serbia for a long time were unhappy, but diplomacy often involves not saying everything because it can harm different parties. I can't tell you everything now. So, on the one hand, I understand, but on the other hand, my work cannot be judged on the basis of 280 characters. Of course, we need to learn to be more careful with this communication. Sometimes I have to mention that I am more in contact with NGOs, which I met in Brussels, than with the government of Serbia or its president," Kos said.

She assessed that Serbia's path towards the European Union is not simple, adding that the country has been a candidate since 2014 and that there have been complete blockages along the way.

"This conversation with President Vu?i?, which was not easy, has led him to promise not only to me, but also to the President of the European Commission and the President of the Council, that Serbia will do everything I told him it should do on its European path in the coming weeks. I really just ask for understanding that at a certain stage of all the steps that we need to take, I cannot announce them in advance or criticize them," Kos said. /CNA