Starovic on von der Leyen’s Visit: A major and significant day for Serbia’s European future

The visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Belgrade marks a major and significant day for Serbia’s European future, said Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starovic in an interview with Euronews Serbia. He emphasized that the visit demonstrated Serbia’s commitment to its European path and gave a strong boost to accelerating the country’s EU accession process.

“The discussions held with the President of the European Commission were highly substantive and constructive. The central topic throughout these important talks was how, through joint steps, we can accelerate Serbia’s accession process to the European Union. Both Serbia’s leadership and the European Commission’s representatives demonstrated a high level of commitment,” Starovic said.

The Minister underlined that Serbia now faces the task of demonstrating its administrative capacity and ability.

“This is the moment to prove our capabilities — to deliver even more results in implementing reforms. The President of the European Commission commended Serbia’s accelerated reform efforts, including the agreements on electing members of the REM Council, amendments to the Law on the Unified Electoral Roll, and the increase of Serbia’s alignment rate with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy to 61%,” he noted.

Von der Leyen stressed that now is the right moment for Serbia to take concrete steps toward EU membership, especially in the areas of rule of law, media, electoral legislation, and foreign policy alignment. Starovic told Euronews Serbia that the country is fully committed to these reforms.

“I am confident that we will be able to deliver very concrete and credible results in the next few months, that is, by the end of the year. This includes the Law on the Unified Electoral Roll, the election of REM Council members, as well as an entire package of laws and strategic documents in the fields of rule of law, the fight against crime and corruption,” he said.

On the question of imposing sanctions on Russia, the Minister stated that there are certain expectations, particularly from some EU member states, but that Serbia’s obligations stem from the accession process itself.

“Gradual alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy will continue until the moment we become a full member. We have already achieved a considerable result by raising our alignment rate to 61%,” he added.

Regarding the opening of Cluster 3, which has not occurred since the start of the war in Ukraine, Starovic explained that the European Commission had already assessed Serbia as technically ready back in December 2021, and reaffirmed that position in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

“However, there was no political consensus among all 27 member states. Now, after the reforms we have implemented, I believe there is a realistic possibility that Cluster 3 could be opened by the end of the year,” said Starovic.

The Minister also emphasized the importance of an inclusive process.

“The Speaker of the National Assembly insisted that these processes be inclusive and participatory, with the full involvement of civil society organizations. The President of the European Commission also underlined the importance of civil sector participation in legislative processes. Only in this way can we reach the best solutions,” he stated.

On the dynamics of the accession process, Starovic stressed that it is a two-way street.

“As much as the work depends on us, it also depends on our colleagues from the European Commission. I believe that through synergy and joint effort, we will deliver excellent results in the weeks and months ahead. There is sufficient political will and capacity to accelerate the reforms that lead us to EU membership,” he said.

Speaking about energy security, Starovic noted that the talks also addressed the principle of solidarity.

“Should we face challenges regarding energy security, the EU is prepared to provide an adequate level of support, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he concluded.