BRUSSELS – On behalf of the European Council, the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER) on Thursday adopted a common EU position for the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 in Serbia’s EU accession talks.The COREPER confirmed without a debate a compromise reached on Tuesday, when the 28 EU member states agreed on the common negotiating position for Chapter 23, giving the red light for the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 on the judiciary and fundamental rights and justice, freedom and security, respectively.
Sources in Brussels said they represented the two most significant chapters in any country’s accession talks as they dealt with harmonisation of regulations in the field of rule of law.
Serbia has done its job by meeting the conditions for the opening of these two chapters and, for its part, the EU confirmed its commitment, Slovak Ambassador to the EU Peter Javorcik said following COREPER’s decision.
The Slovak EU presidency is now expected to call an intergovernmental conference at which Serbia would open the new chapters in its accession talks.
The conference is expected to take place in the second half of July, the sources in the Slovak presidency said.