Media: No agreement in the EU on the opening of cluster 3 with Serbia

Even the third meeting at the level of ambassadors on this topic did not lead to the necessary consensus. Hungary, as EU president, announces that the debate on this issue will continue next week.

The time for an agreement is running out, because the intergovernmental conference on the opening of the cluster, if there is one, should be held in the week between December 16 and 20. According to diplomatic sources, the positions of the member countries have not changed significantly in relation to the previous debate.

At the last meeting, seven countries, among them the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Croatia, rejected the Hungarian presidency's proposal to start the procedure for opening cluster 3.

As the main reasons for the rejection, the member states pointed to Serbia's non-compliance with EU foreign policy and sanctions against Russia, Belgrade's unclear geopolitical commitment, problems in the rule of law, as well as relations with Pristina.
 

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Countries that support the opening of the cluster state that they should accept the assessment of the European Commission according to which Serbia has met the technical criteria.

They point out that this would send a positive signal to the region and bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

Some of them warned that they will not be able to accept steps for other countries, if an agreement on Serbia is not reached.

Non-paper with a list of steps

Diplomatic sources report that Serbia submitted a so-called non-paper to the member countries before the previous debate with a list of steps it intends to take in the short term in order to encourage the decision to open.

Among the steps announced for the beginning of December are the initiation of the procedure for the election of the new council of the REM, the revision of the ballot list in accordance with the recommendations of the ODIHR, the introduction of visas for third countries in accordance with the EU visa policy, the full operation of the gas interconnector with Bulgaria.

According to RTS sources, the next debate on the opening of the cluster could be held on December 11. The time for an agreement is running out, because the intergovernmental conference at which the cluster would be opened should be held in the week between December 16 and 20.

Diplomatic circles are also talking about the possible holding of a "political" intergovernmental conference, where the delegations of Serbia and the EU would exchange political messages, while the opening of the cluster would be postponed to the first quarter of next year.

Serbia took the last step in the negotiations in December 2021. Cluster 3 "Competitiveness and inclusive growth" is now on the table, in which eight chapters are grouped, five of which were already opened before the new methodology introduced the cluster concept.

Chapter 10 - Information society and media, 16 - Tax policy and 19 - Social policy and employment await the opening.