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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Serbia's progress noted in European Commission's report

Belgrade, 19 October 2021

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret handed over to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic the annual report of the European Commission on Serbia's progress in the EU accession process, presented today in Strasbourg.

Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic also attended the presentation of the report in the Government of Serbia.

Addressing the press, Brnabic assessed that the mentioned report is by far the best report on the progress over the last few years and pointed out that it is especially important that the report stated progress in all political criteria and reforms in the rule of law.

The report is complex and covers all segments of our social, political life, foreign and regional policy. In it, the European Commission clearly emphasised that the government of Serbia gave priority to reforms on the European path and especially the rule of law, and that the introductory remarks stated that the focus of the government on reforms can be seen, she stated.

She expressed gratitude to the EU Delegation in Serbia and the European Commission for stating that the opening criteria have been met and that it is necessary to open two clusters.

According to her, the recommendation for opening two clusters is a strong political message to EU members, but also to our country and the citizens of Serbia, noting that a lot has been done in the area of the rule of law.

When it comes to the area of the rule of law, the Prime Minister said that in connection with the elections, it was stated that the political forces continued the dialogue, and that the government began to implement the recommendations of the ODIR.

Speaking about the cooperation with civil society organisations, she specified that the Report praised the fact that a new ministry was formed – the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, but also that the government initiated a session of debates.

The report also stated that the Venice Commission gave a positive opinion on the constitutional amendments, but also recognised that the number of old cases in the field of justice continued to decrease and that for the fifth year in a row the judiciary resolves more cases than it receives, Brnabic said.

Also, as she mentioned, progress has been established in the areas of the fight against corruption and organised crime, emphasising that for the first time since 2016, progress has been noted in the area of freedom of expression.

This is a big and important thing for all of us, and it especially motivates the government of Serbia to continue, she said and called on media associations to return to the working group and continue to work together to improve conditions for the media.

The Prime Minister pointed out that progress in public administration was noted, albeit limited, while in the areas of economy, Serbia received a very good report, praise for sustainability and resilience during the coronavirus pandemic.

The green agenda also established good progress, primarily in the field of energy, with a special focus on renewable energy, Brnabic underlined and announced that the government will continue to work on reforms, and that the first meeting will be held on Thursday.

The European Commission's report on Serbia's progress in the EU accession process was presented today in Strasbourg by European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.

On that occasion, Varhelyi announced that the European Commission supports the opening of two new negotiating clusters in the negotiations with Serbia – cluster three and cluster four.