EC report to be "mostly positive, with criticism"

EC report to be "mostly positive, with criticism"

Head of Serbia's team in membership negotiating with the EU Tanja Miščević told the daily that she "does not expect any big surprises" from the report:

"The document will also have built into it the reports on screenings that have so far been completed, and most of the attention will be devoted to chapters 23 and 24, where Serbia has a lot more work to do. The issue of energy policy and of South Stream will be particularly treated. I expect that there the need to align with the stances of the EU will be emphasized."

The writing of the report is in its final phase, according to the daily, and the 50-page document will be published in the first half of October.

Most of the criticism, according this, will relate to chapters 23 and 24 - justice and security and human rights.

It will be noted that the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg receives most complaints from Serbian citizens, as well as the unsatisfactory level of physical access to justice - the distance from the nearest court is sometimes 80 kilometers.

It is expected that the part about normalization of relations with Priština will be have a series of complaints about delays in implementing the Brussels agreement, writes the daily, and adds that, among other things, the document will seek the completion of integration of the Serb judiciary in northern Kosovo into the Priština system and continuation of the dialogue as soon as possible.

There has not yet been agreement in Brussels on the exact wording of the section that relates to chapter 31 - foreign policy and security, the paper said.

"The hard line in the current Brussels administration insists that this part of the report contains a clear recommendation that Serbia should join EU decisions and impose sanctions on Russia, but a more neutral option will probably be used - calling on Belgrade to gradually harmonize its policies," writes the daily.