Croatian daily on EC document on Serbia's EU membership

A Croatian daily writes that it has had insight into a confidential document that the European Commission should soon adopt.

SOURCE: JUTARNJI LIST TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017
 

The document mentions Serbia's EU membership, Jutarnji List writes.

According to the newspaper, the EU will set as a condition the solving of open issues regarding the border between Croatia and Serbia, but also between Croatia and Montenegro.

These issues should be solved by 2023, and this is a condition for Montenegro and Serbia to conclude negotiations on EU membership by then and become full members by the end of 2025, the article said.

The document is question is a European Commission strategy called "the credible perspective of enlargement for the Western Balkans," which states that the EU does not want to import border disputes between the countries of the region.

This draft, which Jutarnji List said it had seen, is still a protected document, and the final version should be adopted and published in February next year, as announced in his annual speech by EC President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The Croatian paper further writes that the text reminds the leaders of the Western Balkans that EU membership is a matter of choice for which political consensus and citizens' consent is needed, and that these leaders should have no doubt as to where the Western Balkans belongs, and in which direction it is moving.

"This is obviously a message to Serbia, where the issue of choosing between the EU and Russia is often raised," said the daily.

It is also mentioned that "Serbia will have to resolve relations with Kosovo through a legally binding document, which is of key importance for the stability of the entire region and the European perspective."