Is EU membership by 2025 a mission impossible or is there a possible twist which was announced in September?

Serbia opened two more chapters in Brussels - 17 and 18, two are temporarily closed, so the state has reached halfway, 16 open chapters of a total of 35, and with the dynamic of opening 4 chapters a year, it is getting more and more probably that the Serbian delegation won't meet the agenda from the Enlargement strategy. According to it, all of the chapters should be opened and closed by the year 2025, to sign and to ratify the Agreement of joining the EU.

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Is it impossible for Serbia to enter EU by the year of 25 or is there a possible twist? The same one that president Vucic used to mention in the Reuters interview last year - that if we make an agreement with Pristina, the official Belgrade must be guaranteed that it will become a part of the European family by 2025.

Suzana Grubjesic, General Secretary of the of the European Movement in Serbia said for Telegraf.rs that the countries are "pushing that year aside" and that we can increasingly hear of the proposition given by the European Commission (EC), and that it is possible to close the dialogue, which is currently stopped, within the legal deadline, if Pristina withdraws unilateral measures.

- EU member states have a lot of objections for the way that year was placed in the strategy and they stick to the logic that there shouldn't be any dates of joining because the candidate states relax since they know when will they be accepted. I personally think that kind of attitude is wrong because you must have some pointer when you introduce necessary measures in a country, some map of the way, like all east European countries.

Foto: Tanjug/Dragan Kujundžić

She stresses that it can't be guaranteed that the year 2025 is certain.

- It is possible and I am convinced that Serbia can be ready to open and close all possible chapters, but not according to the current dynamic, but if you send seven chapters, you can open at least five - Grubjesic explains with the comment that it is possible, but the question remains, and that is political will.

EC gives recommendations on the one hand but on the other hand, the pace depends on the member states, says Grubjesic.

- We are different from other candidate countries because we have a large state problem that we should solve, the dynamic of joining depends on the dynamic of Pristina-Belgrade dialogue. The fact is that the dialogue is stalled and I hope that EU will react with much more energy and to take the matters in its own hands once again in order to enable the continuation of the dialogue. They assumed the role of an observer and they have to force Pristina with more energy to withdraw the unilateral measures, which a the least economic, and they are mostly political, to return the nights to normal and to continue the dialogue. The dialogue cannot be continued in such an atmosphere - she thinks.

The minister for Euro-integration Jadranka Joksimovic said yesterday that she is happy that we opened chapters 17 and 18, "which are important because Serbia is the leader of the economic transformation in the region". 

Jadranka Joksimović @MINEIsrb kada postanemo članica EU imaćemo pristup svim #EUfondovi, ali ne treba zaboraviti da Srbija 🇷🇸 koristi Cosme program za mala i srednja preduzeća, kao da je punopravna članica #EENis10 #EENSrbija pic.twitter.com/AUbgy1pSkz— EU info centar (@EUICBG) November 22, 2018

- I wish to ensure European partners that Serbia is a serious partner, dedicated to preserving regional peace and stability. I think that we had significant results in the rule of law, we are not displeased, we are determined to be successful, patients, determined in the intention to become the member of EU - Joksimovic said, who thanked the members of EU for supporting the opening of negotiation chapters with Serbia, saying that 19 countries wanted to open three chapters with Serbia.

The minister asked the friends and partners from EU to bring the values and principles of EU closer to Pristina and Albania, which supported these non-European measures of Pristina.

She said that we shouldn't be displeased and that Serbia will remain on the European path.

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn reiterated that the EU is ready to open new negotiating chapters with Serbia when conditions are met.

The continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue directly relates to the prospects of the two sides for advancement on the European path.

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(Telegraf.co.uk / S.I.)