Vucic meets Von der Leyen: Advocacy for a European Serbia, very important

2024-10-25 17:56:01, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European path and the advocacy for a European Serbia are very important for the country's progress, said the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, after a meeting with the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, on Friday in Belgrade.

He emphasized that Serbia will work "with dedication" on the road to European integration.

Vu?i? met with EC chief Von der Leyen, who is in Serbia as part of her tour of the six countries of the Western Balkans. During the meeting, they also discussed the geopolitical situation, the Kosovo issue and Serbia's membership in the European Union (EU).

The Serbian president also said that Von der Leyen asked Serbia to have "much greater compliance with the EU's foreign policies".

However, Vucic also reiterated that Serbia will maintain traditionally good relations with other countries as well.

Membership negotiations between Belgrade and Brussels have been practically frozen for several years now, due to the non-imposition of sanctions against Russia.

Serbia says it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, but it is refusing to line up with the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while representatives of the authorities in Belgrade continue to maintain ties with the Kremlin.

Serbia has been a candidate for membership in the European Union since 2012. It started membership negotiations in January 2014, but as of December 2021, it has not opened any blocs.

Candidate countries are required to align their foreign and security policies with those of the Union. At the time of EU membership, harmonization must be complete.

Ursula von der Leyen declared that Serbia is "one of the most advanced countries in the accession process" and that it has a "strong basis to become a member of the EU".

She added that her presence in Belgrade "is a clear sign that I believe that the future of Serbia is in the EU".

So far, Serbia has opened 22 out of a total of 35 chapters of negotiations for membership in the European Union. Of those 22, it has temporarily closed 2.

However, Vucic warned that by the end of the year it is possible to open a new chapter.