RTS saw EP report: EU should not continue negotiations with Serbia until it imposes sanctions against Russia

Photo: Profimedia/Alamy/Ognjen Stevanovic / Alamy

The European Parliament will call on the EU not to continue accession negotiations with Serbia until Belgrade aligns itself with the policy of sanctions against Russia and achieves significant progress in reforms, according to the parliament's report on the EU enlargement strategy, which RTS has seen.

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"The EU should set as a priority the alignment of the candidate countries with the common European foreign policy and continue the accession negotiations with Serbia only if it complies with EU sanctions against Russia and achieves significant progress in the reforms related to the path to the EU," reads the report on the enlargement strategy, whose author is Tonino Picula, a representative of the Socialists and Social Democrat group.

The report calls on the EU to consider the use of European funds intended for Serbia, in the light of alignment with foreign policy, "especially projects financed under the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, in order to ensure that all allocations from the EU budget are fully consistent with its own strategic goals and interests."

The "New Enlargement Strategy" report will be put up for a vote during the session of the European Parliament's foreign policy committee on October 13, and its contents have already been agreed upon through compromise amendments by the largest political groups, the People's Parties, the Socialists and Social Democrats, the Greens and the Renew Europe group.

The text that has been harmonized contains an amendment calling on Serbia to "systematically align with all EU restrictive measures towards Russia, and measures in general" as well as to demonstrate progress in democracy, the rule of law and embrace European values and priorities.

In the part of the report that talks about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the European Parliament calls on the EU to step up its engagement in order to reach a legally binding agreement "based on a mutual recognition of the two sides, within the framework of the dialogue" which, it is assessed, is crucial for their progress towards the EU and at the same time something that will "contribute to regional stability and prosperity."

After a vote in the Foreign Policy Committee on October 13, the report on "New EU Enlargement Strategy" should be adopted as a resolution at the plenary session of the European Parliament in November.

The resolution is not binding, but will be sent to the European Commission and member states as a recommendation.

The European Parliament has no powers in the area of enlargement and does not decide on the course of accession negotiations, but the adopted resolutions have political weight that can be taken into account by other European institutions.

(Telegraf.rs)