BRUSSELS – The EU and the US are supporting Serbia on the European integration path, but only EU member states will decide on the EU accession itself, European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister said on Thursday.
Whether and when a candidate country will join the EU is an exclusive decision made unanimously by EU member states with prior consultations with the European Commission and consent of the European Parliament, he said.
McAllister was responding to a Tanjug question about a potential influence of Washington – and the US position on Russia and Kosovo – on Serbia’s EU integration process.
When asked if US official Hoyt Brian Yee’s recent statements in Belgrade could be interpreted in Brussels as external political pressure on a candidate country, McAllister noted the EU expected progress on alignment of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU.