Joksimovic: Toughest chapters will be started by end of year

BELGRADE - It would be best for Serbia to work towards starting the toughest chapters of the accession talks with the EU by the end of the year, and those are chapters 23 and 24, which refer to the judiciary, Serbia's Minister without Portfolio in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic said on Sunday.

Joksimovic commented on the upcoming visit by EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, scheduled for Monday, by saying that it was an excellent signal from Brussels.
"I expect it to be more than just a protocol visit to show support for the government, but a mutual agenda of expectations that we should also have towards the EU regarding the reforms we have promised to the people," she told Radio and Television of Serbia.

Concerning the statements by her predecessor Branko Ruzic that 6 chapters could be opened in the first year of the talks with the EU, Joksimovic stressed that chapter 32, referring to financial control, should be started, besides chapters 23 and 24.

Chapter 32 is important because it coincides with the fundamental message of the government, and that is the introduction of more efficient mechanisms to control budget spending, she explained.

According to Joksimovic, Serbia should take the initiative, and not avoid the biggest and most difficult problems.

She said that competence should be the dominant criterion when forming the team for the negotiations.

The experts picked for the team must, with political support from Belgrade, secure the best interim deadlines for the implementation of the standards not easily applicable in Serbia, Joksimovic stated.

Photo Tanjug, N. Milosevic (archive photo)