Apostolovic: Cluster 3 in EU accession talks could be opened by end-July

BELGRADE - Serbian Ambassador to the EU Danijel Apostolovic said on Tuesday the opening of Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks could take place by end-July and that the country was close to meeting all commitments required to open the cluster.

Speaking to the RTS, Apostolovic said all three EU officials who had visited Belgrade in the past month had said that they would insist with EU member states on opening Cluster 3 with Serbia once the commitments had been met.

"I want to believe that we are now closer to accomplishing the goal of opening Cluster 3 by end-July because we are practically close to meeting all our commitments. However, as you remember, we were quite close to opening the cluster in December, too, but it did not happen. The most important thing is to finish our part of the commitments," Apostolovic said.

He said a decision on opening Cluster 3 was political in nature and that, contrarily to what EU officials often said, the accession talks process was not entirely merit-based.

"It is quite politically governed - and geopolitically at this time - and that is how things are. Why I am saying this? Because, had it really been merit-based, Serbia would have opened Cluster 3 as early as three and a half years ago because we have four recommendations, from the four annual reports by the European Commission, (saying) that we are ready to open Cluster 3, but that has not happened," Apostolovic said.

Speaking about the commitments left for Serbia to meet, Apostolovic said the country needed to pass three media laws - a law on public information and media, a law on electronic media and a law on public broadcasters.