Final vote on Serbia's progress in European integrations scheduled for Wednesday!

The proposed resolution, resulting from the inclusion of MEP amendments into an annual report compiled by EP rapporteur David McAllister, will be adopted without a debate, having already been approved by the EP foreign affairs committee in February with a large majority of votes.

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During last month's fiery debate in the EP foreign affairs committee, Croatian MEPs requested that Serbia's progress on the European path be made conditional on solving a large number of open issues between the two countries, ranging from finding persons missing since the 1990s wars to correcting the border on the Danube and Serbia's relinquishing of trying war crimes committed in the territory of Croatia.

Eventually, the position prevailed that bilateral problems should be solved at bilateral level, rather than through the EP, and most Croatian amendments were rejected, while those that were accepted had been made significantly milder.

The coordinated version of the resolution, seen by Tanjug, includes praise for Serbia's progress in the dialogue on normalising relations with Pristina, carrying out internal reforms and developing regional cooperation, but also criticism over cases of freedom of speech violations, as well as a request that the country join the EU sanctions against Russia.

Foto: MUP Srbije

Besides, the EP encourages the European Council to take into account in making a decision on opening the first chapters in the negotiation process not only Serbia's efforts so far in meeting technical criteria, but the political context of the Serbia-EU relations as well.

The text of the resolution notes that Chapters 23 and 24 - on fundamental rights and rule of law - need to be opened first, as well as Chapter 35, associated with the process of normalising the Belgrade-Pristina ties.

On Tuesday afternoon, the EP will also debate resolutions on Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia and vote on them on Wednesday.

EP resolutions are not binding, but the European Commission and the Council of the EU have to take them into consideration when making their decisions.

(Telegraf.rs / Tanjug)