The third meeting of the Accession Conference with Serbia at Ministerial level was held today in Brussels to open two important negotiating chapters, EU said in a statement.

The first is Chapter 23 - Judiciary and fundamental rights, and Chapter 24 - Justice, freedom and security. 

The European Union delegation was led by Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, on behalf of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The European Commission was represented by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. The Serbian delegation was led by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, accompanied by Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jadranka Joksimović, Minister without portfolio responsible for European integration. 

 “This is a very good news for Serbia - we are opening two important and demanding chapters in the accession process. These chapters are tied to basic values and principles of the EU: democracy, rule of law, independent judiciary - areas crucial for the introduction of European standards and strengthening rights of the citizens,” Minister Miroslav Lajčák has said. 

The opening of the two chapters represents an important milestone in the accession negotiations with Serbia. Under the new approach, both chapters are tackled early in the enlargement process to allow Serbia to develop a solid track record of reform implementation. This will ensure sustainable and lasting reforms in the area of the rule of law.