"Chapter 35 has priority" - negotiator

"Chapter 35 has priority" - negotiator

"Chapter 35 requires full implementation of the Brussels agreement and that is no secret," Miscevic said at the joint session of the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (Chapter 23) and Justice, Freedom and Security (Chapter 24) task forces of the National EU Convent.

She said that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is scheduled to resume on February 9 and that bilateral screenings for 26 chapters have been completed so far.

The action plans for chapters 23 and 24, as well as Chapter 11, which is related to agriculture and rural development, will be completed simultaneously with the screenings for the other chapters, Miscevic said.

The Serbian government's negotiating position for each chapter is a secret document that, just like the EU's negotiating position, cannot be published before the day of the inter-governmental conference, Miscevic explained.

When the day comes, the document will be published simultaneously in English and Serbian on the websites of the Serbian government and the European Commission, she said.

Miscevic also said that she is not satisfied with the inclusion of the civil sector into the negotiation process, noting that not all ministries have shown equal understanding for it.

Milan Antonijevic of the non-governmental organization Human Rights and Democracy House, who coordinates the task force for Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights - agreed with the assertion.

He urged that a calendar of events be submitted to civil society organizations to enable them to prepare for the resumption of the negotiation process next year.

The chairman of the Serbian parliamentary committee on European integrations Aleksandar Senic said that the civil sector must be involved in the negotiations as much as possible.

He said that the committee has adopted all the necessary acts and that the parliament is ready for the negotiation process with the EU.