Serbia to complete EU reforms by 2019: PM

Serbia plans to complete all European Union (EU)-related reforms before 2019, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said after meeting EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn here Thursday.

Vucic said he and Hahn would further discuss obligations after EU negotiations at an upcoming summit in Brussels on Dec. 14 where Serbia will officially open first chapters of the EU acquis, 32 and 35.

Serbia wishes to complete all EU related reforms by 2019, "and then it's up to the EU to accept us as a member," Vucic said mentioning 2020 and 2022 as possible years of Serbia's EU accession.

Chapter 32 of the EU acquis deals with financial control while Chapter 35 is "other issues" which, for Serbia, refer to the dialogue with authorities in Pristina and implementation of the Brussels agreement adopted in 2013 which sets course for the EU-mediated dialogue between the two sides and normalization of relations.

Vucic said that Serbia will have to do hard work on Chapter 35 as it requires cooperation with Kosovo Albanians, within the EU-mediated dialogue between Serbia and authorities in its southern province of Kosovo.

"Chapter 35 is tough, we are not hiding that, but we are the ones who create our own future. I hope that attacks on Serbs (in Kosovo) will stop, but mostly we managed to maintain their safety," Vucic said, adding that welfare of people on Kosovo and Metohija will demand more effort and cooperation between Serbs and Albanians.

Hahn said that Serbia will open Chapter 23 (Judiciary and fundamental rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, freedom and security) in the middle of 2016, which have high importance on Serbia's harmonization with the EU. Endit