IT SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY! Four years ago, we started accession negotiations with the EU: Here's how long Croats and Slovenians negotiated

After October 5th, we expected that Europe would reward us for the replacement of the Milosevic regime and to speed up the process as much as possible. Ever since the Zagreb summit in 2000, and the Thessaloniki declaration three years later, Serbia hopes to enter EU in "Ten years", or even before. However, the reality denies us. The accession negotiations of Belgrade and Brussels started just four years ago. 

THE MEETING OF VUCIC, ERDOGAN, AND IZETBEGOVIC: The relationship of Serbia and Bosniaks in focus (PHOTO)

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When he took over the prime minister's office, Zoran Zivkovic spoke about the possibility of joining the EU by 2007. In 2008, his former party colleague, Bozidar Djelic, announced the end of the negotiations by 2012, and the reception two years later. Former Serbian President Boris Tadic optimistically announced 2013 as the year of reception.

However, the European Council granted Serbia a candidate status in March 2012 and in June 2013 decided to open accession negotiations with Serbia. They officially started the First Intergovernmental Conference on Serbia's Accession to the EU on January 21, 2014. At that time, the Negotiating Framework of the European Union and the Preliminary Declaration of the Republic of Serbia were presented.

Foto: Tanjug/KABINET PREMIJERA SRBIJE

Then, at the Second Intergovernmental Conference, on December 14 next year, two chapters, Chapter 32 entitled Financial Control, and Chapter 35 - Other Issues - were opened, which followed the implementation of an agreement on the normalization of relations with Pristina.

- This year, we need to amend the Constitution and, in addition to a legally binding agreement with Pristina, to bring a set of judicial laws on the basis of the amended Constitution in 2019. Then, in the next two years, after 2020, we will show that an independent judiciary is functioning. If this proves to be the case, then it is possible to close the chapter 23 in June 2023 and to join the EU in December 2025.

Foto: Medija tim predsednika Vlade

This would almost certainly break through the average deadline for accession negotiations because the experience of countries that have become members of the European Union in the last 15 years shows that these negotiations lasted between three and six years.

Slovakia, Malta, Latvia, and Lithuania quickly concluded the negotiations, which officially began to negotiate with the EU in February 2000 and closed all chapters in December 2002.

These four countries became members of the EU on May 1, 2004, in the so-called big wave of enlargement. At the same time, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia joined the Union, which opened accession negotiations on March 31, 1998, and closed them in December 2002.

Negotiations between the EU and 10 then-candidates were subdivided into 31 chapters.

Croatia was a leader among the countries of the Western Balkans in the process of Euro-integration.

Zagreb signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement in October 2001, which came into force in February 2005. Croatia gained the status of candidate for membership in June 2004, officially opened negotiations in October 2005, closed them in June 2011, and on 1 July 2013 became a member of the EU.

(Telegraf.co.uk)