(Adnkronos) – Rome on Monday underlined its unwavering commitment to Serbia’s European Union membership bid and the opening of negotiating Chapter Three, saying it is part of Italy’s strong support for the European integration of the western Balkans.
“Italy supports the opening of another negotiation chapter for Serbia’s accession to the EUforeign minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of an EU foreign affairs council in Brussels.
“I have also just spoken with Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic to whom I underlined that Italy supports the opening of Chapter 3 for Serbia’s accession to the EU, as part of Italy’s strong support for the Balkan countries that are set to join,” he said.
“First off Montenegro and Albania. Then, of course, it will be Ukraine’s and Moldova’s turn,” Tajani concluded.
Serbia began accession negotiations with the EU in 2014, and along with nine other states has been an EU candidate since 2012. It applied to join the 27-member bloc in 2009.
Vucic expressed scepticism last week about a swift expansion of the EU saying he was not optimistic that aspiring new members, including Serbia, would join the bloc in the near future.
Only Montenegro hopes to join the EU by 2028 while Albania hopes to become a full member by 2030. Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Kosovo lag behind.
Chapter Three of the EU accession negotiations include the right of establishment and freedom to provide services (part of Cluster 2: the International Market including the free movement of goods, workers and capital).
