S&D MEP Sergei Stanishev met Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić on Tuesday in Brussels. During the meeting they discussed Serbia’s readiness to start accession negotiations with the EU. ‘The entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement is only the first step on a long road which lies ahead of Serbia as a candidate country. Council’s decision to open accession negotiations has been an important decision. Commission President Juncker stated that there will be no new Member States in the next 5 years but it is the priority of Socialists and Democrats to ensure progress in the negotiation processes. The new Commission approach to start the negotiations with Chapter 23 ‘Judiciary and Fundamental Rights’ and Chapter 24 ‘Justice and Home Affairs’ is a very useful approach as fundamental EU values are related to these areas’, Stanishev said.

 

Another important topic discussed during the meeting was the upcoming Serbian chairmanship of OSCE. Stanishev stressed that the main challenge for Serbia in this capacity will be to monitor the implementation of the disarmament agreement struck during the Geneva conference between the US, Russia, Ukraine and the EU, as well as achieving a peaceful political solution to the conflict.

 

Minister Ivica Dačić elaborated on the internal political situation in Serbia and discussed relations between BSP and the Socialist Party of Serbia. Both expressed their wish for the close cooperation between the parties to continue.