"The only possible option is for Serbia to join the EU"

"The only possible option is for Serbia to join the EU"

He added that the goal of the process is to improve the lives of the citizens of Serbia, instead of making the EU, Brussels or Sweden happy.

The main goal of the accession and commitment of the Serbian government that it has to face is precisely that better life, said Waern at the online conference on the occasion of the presentation of the European Commission (EC) report on Serbia for 2020, organized by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, where Head of EU delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi spoke.

The Deputy Ambassador said that he wanted to see a new beginning, to bring much more life to the accession process, to improve and accelerate accession.

From the Scandinavian point of view, he added, the reconciliation process is very important, as well as strong neighbors, who strengthen each other, which Sweden would like to see in the Balkans as well.

The Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, Djordje Stanicic, stated that they, as an organization, are involved in the negotiation process in the three negotiating groups for Chapters 5, 22 and 27.

Stanicic added that the SCTM has improved communication with state bodies responsible for accession negotiations by advocating for the interests of local self-government in the field of environment, social policy, justice, basic rights, employment, agriculture, and that they believe that participation must be improved because identified 21 chapters seem to be relevant to local self-government and local government.

According to him, it is necessary to open a permanent dialogue, and to involve decision-makers at the local level in considering issues related to the EU accession process through regular exchange of information and consultations.

The head of the EU Delegation, Sem Fabrizi, who reminded in detail of the report of the European Commission, the summits in Zagreb and Sofia, IPA 3 program, said that one of the main economic plans of the EU for the Balkans was to improve the local economy.

Fabrizi also reminded that the EU, for the recovery of the economy, made a decision on aid to the Western Balkans worth nine billion euros in the form of grants.

"The economy is in decline everywhere, and that is why the EC is giving recommendations to all members in order to recover because of the measures they were forced to take, which had a negative impact on the economy," Fabrizi said.