"Chapter 31 should be opened as soon as possible"

"Chapter 31 should be opened as soon as possible"

"We must open the chapter sooner than we originally thought, " Fule said responding to the questions of MPs of the European Parliament (EP) Foreign Policy Committee concerning the refusal by Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to join the sanctions against Russia.

The commissioner underscored that Chapter 31 on foreign, security and defense policy is the best instrument for adjusting the foreign policy of both Serbia and other Western Balkan countries to the EU.

"You cannot have a drastic violation of the international law in Eastern Europe without having it leave consequences for everyone in the joint European house," Fule said replying to MP questions following the presentation of the annual report on enlargement.

Speaking about Serbia, Fule said that EU regulations are clear, and added that gradual adjustments to the EU foreign policy are expected.

Serbia will begin the screening of Chapter 31 on Friday and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić should visit Brussels on this occasion.

Fule noted that the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština constitutes the example of successful use of the enlargement process for solving frozen conflicts.

Unfortunately, some conflicts are seriously hindering the enlargement process, the commissioner said reflecting on the dispute between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus and the dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the name.

At the end of his address to reporters, the outgoing enlargement commissioner said that he is not certain whether his five-year mandate could be qualified as successful or unsuccessful. The office of the EU enlargement commissioner will be taken over by Johannes Hahn as of November 1.

Some countries used the opportunity offered by the enlargement process and carried out reforms aimed at progress, while others are lagging behind or are even going backwards, Fule said.

The normalization of the relations between Belgrade and Priština need additional momentum to reach the next stage, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said on Wednesday.

By opening the accession talks with the EU this year, Serbia reached a turning point in EU integration, Fule stated presenting a set of annual enlargement reports to the foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Serbia has more responsibilities at this stage, but also opportunities to take advantage of on the road to EU membership, he underscored.

Fule commended the high level of preparation and professionalism coming from Serbia at the start of the screening process, as well as the authorities' efforts to reform the judiciary, public administration and economy.

He emphasized in particular the significance of regional cooperation and the process of bringing the relations between Belgrade and Priština back to normal.

New momentum is needed in the normalization process not, and the EU is willing to help, he noted.

Commenting on the overall situation in the candidate countries, he said the general deterioration of the situation related to the freedom of speech was regretful, adding that this referred mostly to Turkey.

He called on the political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to put an end to the blockade of state institutions after the coming election and conduct the reforms necessary for the country's EU integration.

Fule hopes that the new UN envoy will help Macedonia settle its dispute with Greece over its name and finally enter the accession talks.

He advised the Albanian government to continue working on the requirements needed to start the accession talks now that the country had become a candidate for EU membership, while he called on the authorities in Montenegro to speed up the judiciary reform and strengthen their efforts against corruption.

Once the candidate countries have met the criteria needed for membership, the EU needs to fulfill its part of the agreement, the outgoing commissioner pointed out.

The EU needs to live up to its word, because it is the only way to protect the credibility of the enlargement process, he stated.