In recent times, Cluster 3 has often been mentioned, that is, the set of negotiation chapters with the European Union that has yet to be opened.
For the fifth consecutive time, the European Commission has stated in its reports that Serbia has met the technical conditions for its opening, but this has never actually happened.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, has on several occasions in
discussions with European officials pointed out that EU enlargement is clearly a political decision rather than a merit-based system.
She also spoke on this topic at the BELTALKS forum held at the Hyatt Hotel, attended by numerous diplomats, domestic and foreign officials, and experts from various fields.
“If I look back at the time when I was Prime Minister, there are some things I would have done differently. I usually spoke with countries that were already supporting us on the EU path, and we invested a lot of time in that. However, we did not spend a single second talking to sceptical countries, starting with the Baltic states, the Benelux countries, and others. We did not open channels of communication so that they could hear what we want to achieve and how committed we are. We also did not hear their concerns when it comes to Serbia. Today we are trying to change that. I am investing much more time in discussions with sceptical states, so I have been to Latvia, the Netherlands and Sweden, and I plan to visit Estonia, Denmark and Finland as well. For the first time, we are opening an embassy in Riga, so our strategic approach is very different. I believe that we would have opened Cluster 3 much earlier if we had done this sooner. Cluster 3 would have been opened back in December 2021 if this were a merit-based system rather than one based on political will,” Brnabić said.
Last week, the EU-Western Balkans summit took place in Brussels, which we also reported on in detail, and Brnabić reiterated that she is very sceptical when it comes to meritocracy in the context of European integration.
She added that she is also on good terms with colleagues from Ukraine.
“I know that many may say that nothing can be learned from us when it comes to EU accession because we have been on that path for too long, but we do have technical and other knowledge. In that sense, we can help Ukraine a great deal, as it sees itself as part of Europe. We are in contact, and I can express gratitude that Ukraine has remained committed to supporting our territorial sovereignty and integrity, and vice versa,” she said.
Speaking about the obligations that Serbia must fulfil on its path towards the EU, the Speaker the National Assembly said that over the summer a series of media laws were adopted, and that one of the greater challenges was the Law on the Unified Voters’ Register, when it was decided to create a special body composed of representatives of the authorities, civil society and the opposition.
She expects the commission to be formed soon, but acknowledged that there has been a delay in the case of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media.
“Democracy should not be about red lines, but should be based on compromise, so I hope that we will resolve these issues successfully,” she concluded.
Cluster 3
Let us recall that a negotiation cluster is a term used in the process of accession to the European Union and refers to thematically grouped negotiation chapters within which Serbia, as a candidate, conducts negotiations with the EU on aligning its legislation with the EU acquis communautaire.
This enlargement methodology for the Western Balkans was officially approved by the European Council in March 2020. The key novelty was the formation of six negotiation clusters encompassing multiple negotiation chapters.
What does Cluster 3 include?
Cluster 3 – Competitiveness and inclusive growth includes the following negotiation chapters:
Chapter 10 – Digital transformation and media
Chapter 16 – Taxation
Chapter 17 – Economic and monetary policy
Chapter 19 – Social policy and employment
Chapter 20 – Enterprise and industrial policy
Chapter 25 – Science and research
Chapter 26 – Education and culture
Chapter 29 – Customs union
Although the technical conditions for opening Cluster 3 have been met, as has been highlighted several times, there has so far been no significant progress.
The opening of the cluster is often blocked by EU member states that believe Serbia has not fulfilled all the obligations expected of it. Although regulating the voters’ register or alignment with the EU’s foreign policy do not fall under Cluster 3, critics have also taken these issues into account when blocking progress, so it is assumed that these are among the basic issues that need to be resolved.
It has been stated several times from Brussels that the overall pace of negotiations will depend on reforms in the rule of law and the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
(EUpravo zato)
