Apostolovic: I believe that, by end-June, we can be technically ready to open Cluster 2

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian Mission to the EU Danijel Apostolovic, who also chairs Serbia's operating team for the EU accession talks, said on Monday he believed that, by end-June, the country could be technically ready to open Cluster 2 in the talks.

Speaking at an AmCham Serbia conference in Belgrade, Apostolovic said the goal of the team, established at Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's initiative, was to redouble efforts to accelerate the accession talks and to seriously start meeting all of Serbia's remaining commitments to the EU.

"Our main goal is to accelerate all things stemming from our accession talks process. Above all, one of the main goals is to prepare the remaining clusters for opening - Cluster 2, which deals with the internal market, Cluster 5, which deals with cohesive resources and agriculture, as well as Cluster 6, the easiest cluster for many member states as it has only two chapters, but it is one of the most difficult and the most demanding ones for Serbia because it contains the famed Chapter 31 - the common foreign and security policy," Apostolovic said.

"The key thing here is to pass the law on state assistance. We have already done an action plan on state assistance schemes. There is also a law that is in the procedure - the law on free zones. So, I believe that, by the end of June, we can be technically ready to open Cluster 2," Apostolovic said, adding that Cluster 5 was "a bit more challenging."