At Accession Conference chaired by Ekaterina Zaharieva, Serbia opens two more chapters in its EU accession talks, and Montenegro, one chapter
26 June 2018 News
The 9th meeting of the EU-Montenegro Stabilization and Association Council, held in Luxembourg today, reviewed the relations between the two sides, including the progress made in Montenegro’s preparation for EU membership. The Stabilization and Association Council was followed by the 11th meeting of the accession conference with Montenegro at ministerial level. Later today, the 8th meeting of the accession conference with Serbia at ministerial level was also held in Luxembourg.
The delegation of the European Union was headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva on behalf of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The European Commission was represented by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. The delegation of Montenegro was headed by Srdjan Darmanović, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that of Serbia, by Jadranka Joksimović, the Minister of European Integration.
The holding of today’s meetings with Montenegro and Serbia comes as clear evidence that the EU remains strongly committed to the enlargement process, based on clear-cut principles and criteria.
Reaffirming the European perspective of the Western Balkans is a key priority for the Bulgarian Presidency, said Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. I hope both countries will continue to work on their reforms, in order to achieve the required results that would bring them even closer to the European family, she stressed.
The purpose of the accession conference with Montenegro was to open negotiations on Chapter 17 – Economic and Monetary Policy. Montenegro started its EU accession talks in 2012. With today’s session, 31 out of a total of 35 chapters have been opened for negotiation, of which 3 have already been closed ahead of schedule.
At the accession conference with Serbia, two new chapters were opened: Chapter 13 – Fisheries, and Chapter 33 – Financial and budgetary provisions. Out of a total of 35 chapters, 13 have thus far been opened for negotiation, of which 2 have already been closed ahead of schedule. Serbia’s accession talks began in 2014.
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