Miscevic: Serbia ready to open Cluster 3 in EU integration

BELGRADE - Serbia's European Integration Minister Tanja Miscevic said on Thursday the country was ready to open Cluster 3 in its EU integration process.

Miscevic said this at a session of the Serbian parliamentary committee on EU integration, presenting a government report on Serbia's accession talks between January and June 2023.

She said progress had been noted in many areas.

"We are working on opening Cluster 3 in the most concrete manner. For two and a half years now, Serbia has been completely ready to open Cluster 3 and we are monitoring the issue through discussions with representatives of member states to create the political conditions," she said, adding that work on opening Cluster 2 and Cluster 5 was simultaneously underway.

She said demonstrating progress in all fields, with special emphasis on rule of law, had been Serbia's fundamental goal.

She said a positive assessment of progress was also included in the most recent semi-annual document of the European Commission, released in May.

She said the start of discussions with the EC about fulfilment of interim benchmarks for Chapter 23 and Chapter 24 was the biggest indicator of progress achieved by Serbia in the most diverse fields.