Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has stated today that Serbia has proven to be a responsible and serious country in the EU accession process and has expressed her belief that the new government will strengthen Serbia’s European path through the implementation of reforms and stronger political leadership of that process.
Joksimović has said that Serbia is ready for the opening of cluster 3, but that it will not be opened during the French EU Council presidency, which ends on June 30, due to non-compliance with the foreign and security policy of the EU regarding sanctions against Russia.
“Expectations of aligning with the common foreign and security policy of the EU, in terms of a restrictive regime and sanctions against Russia, have existed since the beginning, we are aware of that, but for us, for a number of reasons, that was not simple”, Joksimović has said at the opening of the “Applied Nostalgia Belgrade - Paris” exhibition at the Youth Centre.
Joksimović has said that the situation has got more complicated due to the war taking place on the European continent, stating that it is a large and worrying conflict in which a nuclear power is participating and that everything happening has an additional dimension of a threat to global security and stability.
“That situation is not easy for Serbia at all because these two countries are both friendly towards Serbia”, Joksimović has said.
She has emphasised that Serbia has sided with international law and the sovereignty and integrity of countries, the same way it is defending its sovereignty and integrity.
“There is no dilemma about the side Serbia is on, we are on the side of international law, i.e. on the side of international law and respect for the principles of inviolability of borders European peace”, Joksimović has emphasised.
She has added that Serbia has shown that it is a responsible country and that it is seriously involved in the accession process, doing what is best for its citizens.
“Everyone in Europe is facing difficult times in terms of energy and food supply. We must be firmly on the European path in order to overcome the challenges ahead together”, Joksimović has said.
Speaking about the French EU Council presidency, Joksimović has said that it came at a very difficult and challenging moment for the entire European continent, but that it showed France’s full commitment to the European idea.
She has emphasised that our country has shown trust in French ideas, emphasising that Serbia is the only country that has accepted the new EU accession methodology in an engaged way, although, as she has said, it was in the process of opening more than half of the chapters in accordance with the old methodology.
“We did not run away from the new obligations, we adjusted to the new requests and opened cluster 4 and cluster 1. We have shown that we had confidence in the French idea and in the idea of increased credibility of the predictability process and what may have seemed even more demanding at first glance, which in some segments it has been. However, trust in good intentions is key”, Joksimović has stated.
She has thanked French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard for the exceptional cooperation during the French presidency, emphasizing the joint contribution, which, as she has said, can already be seen in the EU documents.
She has reminded that the Ministry organised a Conference on the Future of Europe with civil society and the academic community and that 52 recommendations were made on how the citizens of Serbia see the future of the EU.
“Those recommendations have already been mentioned in some of the documents concerning the summaries of the conference on the future of Europe. We have worked a lot together, we will work even more because only together can we be revitalized, stronger, and more competitive in the global sphere,” Joksimović has said.
Source: Tanjug
