Serbia "aims to be ready to join EU" by 2021 - minister

Serbia "aims to be ready to join EU" by 2021 - minister

When asked what the odds were for Serbia to get a clear accession date, Joksimovic said she expected "a clearer reference," rather than the exact date or year for Serbia to actually join the Union.

The minister said that the incumbent government had promised citizens reforms, "Which also imply the standards to be reached for EU accession chapters to be opened."

"Previous governments in Serbia promised dates and years, but the reality proved them wrong. Our plan is to be completely prepared by the end of 2020 or 2021," Joksimovic explained.

When asked about speculation that President Vucic wanted to "exchange Kosovo for integration with the EU," Joksimovic said that the Brussels Agreement respected the decisions of Serbia and several EU members to not recognize Kosovo's independence.

"There are state and national interests that you do not use as bargaining chips. President Vucic has already shown that as a statesman he is able to handle reality in a sensible way, including changes that we do not like, the causes of which lie decades back, but also our interests and demands as to the survival and sustainable development of Serbs in Kosovo are crystal clear," the minister explained.