In the EU, reconciliation for opening membership chapters with Serbia is expected to open new chapters

Some member states estimate that Serbia has noted progress in some areas has not done enough to merit the advancement of membership negotiations.

So far, Serbia has opened 22 out of a total of 35 negotiating chapters for membership in the European Union. Of those 22, it has temporarily closed 2.

Negotiations between Belgrade and Brussels are virtually frozen now for three years, due to the failure to impose sanctions against Russia.

The European Commission, meanwhile, has reiterated that Serbia has fulfilled the technical criteria for opening the third chapter, but in the Council some member states say Serbia should do more on some political issues as well.

Among the EU countries, which, according to diplomatic sources, have opposed or had reservations, are three Baltic states, but also the Netherlands, Croatia, Finland and Sweden.

The reasons which are most often mentioned not to give Serbia the green light for the time being are Belgrade's failure to adapt its attitudes to those of the EU in the field of foreign policy, especially with sanctions against Russia, as well as the need for Serbia to do more in the area of freedom of expression and rule of law.

Some countries have demanded that Serbia do more to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks on Banjska in northern Kosovo in the fall of 2023.

An armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in September 2023 in the village of Zvecan, killing a sergeant. The responsibility for the attack was taken by Milan Radoicic, former Serbian politician in Kosovo.

He faces charges in Kosovo and is believed to be in Serbia.

Kosovo accuses Serbia of having a role in this attack, which is denied by official Belgrade.

To help achieve the consensus needed for Serbia, Hungary, which heads the EU presidency, has circulated a non-paper in which it has cited some results Serbia has, according to her, made and the obligations it has taken to meet in the future.

Radio Free Europe It has had access to this non-paper, in which it is said that Serbia next year will be more compatible with the EU in the field of foreign policy and that Serbia has expressed commitment to honour the obligations that come out of the agreement for the path towards normalisation of reports with Kosovo.

But, at the moment, a group of EU nations have not changed their position. The issue, according to sources within the Hungarian EU presidency, will remain in order day at the EU member states' ambassadors' meetings.

Albania expected to open new chapters

Meanwhile, EU member states have reached reconciliation to open new chapters in the negotiations process with Albania.

They have called for Albania to expand its negotiating position in order to open chapters involving foreign policy and defence on December 17th.

In October, Albania opened the first chapter of membership negotiations with the European Union.

The opening of chapters for Albania came after a long wait, as it had applied for membership in 2009 and had received the candidate country's statute in 2014.