Serbia intends to meet all its obligations on the path to European Union membership by June, but judicial reforms continue to pose a significant challenge, Ambassador to the EU and head of Serbia’s Operational EU Accession Team, Daniel Apostolović, said Sunday.
In an interview with RTS, Apostolović highlighted that the Serbian government is pursuing an unprecedented level of political will and energy to advance EU integration goals.
“The key objective, as set by President Vučić, is to complete all obligations in the rule of law area by June. This includes numerous laws, strategic documents, and evidence of law enforcement,” he said.
Apostolović stressed the importance of addressing remaining recommendations from the OSCE/ODIHR and ensuring the full formation of Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
He also underlined the need to prepare remaining EU accession clusters for opening. “Our goal is to be fully ready by June. We will coordinate closely with the European Commission to establish concrete timelines,” he said.
Apostolović met with Jan Kopman, Director-General for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy at the European Commission, as well as the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, to discuss Serbia’s accession progress. He requested that Serbia be prioritized among candidate countries to accelerate the review of submitted legislation and avoid prolonged delays.
Regarding specific clusters, Apostolović said Cluster 2, covering the internal market, is technically closest to opening, with detailed plans already prepared, including a law on state aid control and an action plan for state aid schemes. Cluster 5, encompassing agriculture, cohesion, and resources, remains more challenging, while Cluster 6 requires political consensus among EU member states before negotiation positions can be finalized.
The most demanding tasks lie in Chapters 23 and 24, covering judiciary and fundamental rights. Apostolović reported that of the 91 transitional benchmarks for these chapters, 27 have been fully completed, 18 partially, and work has begun on the remaining 46.
Brussels continues to be critical of the judicial reforms adopted in January. Apostolović said the European Commission emphasized that the procedures must be properly followed, including consultation with the Venice Commission before submission of legislation. “This remains the stumbling block preventing Cluster 3 from being opened until the issue is resolved,” he said.
Looking ahead, Apostolović said Serbia plans to finalize the majority of its key obligations by June and be prepared for the opening of new clusters. He stressed that continued engagement with non-governmental organizations and daily communication with the European Commission will be necessary to maintain momentum.
“Once we implement these reforms, we expect a positive shift in perception of Serbia among EU member states,” Apostolović concluded.