BELGRADE – There are no guarantees that Chapter 23 in Serbia’s EU accession talks will be opened by the end of June, Belgrade’s chief EU negotiator Tanja Miscevic said Tuesday.“Despite the fact that Chapter 23 has not been opened and that, at this time, we cannot guarantee that this will take place on June 30 along with (the opening of) Chapter 24, we have adopted the action plans for these two chapters and they are our obligation,” Miscevic told the B92, adding that the first results of the implementation of the plans would be presented on July 1.
Commenting on the fact that the UK on Monday did not vote in favour of the opening of Chapters 23 and 24, Miscevic said that a “green light” required the consent of the UK’s justice and home secretaries, who had been busy during the country’s EU referendum campaign.
Even after Brexit, enlargement remains one of the key policies of the EU, which will insist on fulfilment of the clear requirements implied by membership, Miscevic said.