Nemanja Starović, Serbia's Minister for European Integration, announced today that there are realistic prospects for Serbia to open Cluster 3 of its EU accession negotiations by the end of July, a move that could unblock the accession process with the European Union.

During an interview with K1 television, Starović emphasized Serbia's desire to leverage the positive momentum in the EU enlargement process.

He stated, "We have good chances and assurances from relevant interlocutors at the European Commission that if we fulfill the package of obligations we accepted in November last year, we will receive maximum support from the European Commission and European institutions to hold an intergovernmental conference by the end of July during which we will open Cluster 3."

Starović detailed the commitments Serbia has undertaken to facilitate this opening.

Foremost among these is the package of media laws, which he noted has been under six months of intense alignment with the European Commission.

He added that representatives from civil society and professional media organizations participated in discussions concerning these laws.

He reported that the texts of all three media laws have been harmonized, approved by the Serbian Government, and are expected to be presented to the National Assembly next week for consideration.

He stated, "I believe we have made adequate progress here and that we will meet the deadlines that have been set."

The second commitment involves the adoption of the Law on the Unified Voter Register, which Starović described as fully aligned with recommendations from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and is anticipated to be introduced to the National Assembly in early July.

The third requirement pertains to the election of members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM).

Starović mentioned that the call for applications has concluded with 49 candidates expressing interest, and that the relevant committee will conduct individual interviews with candidates in the days to come.

He expressed optimism that this process would conclude by early July, thereby fulfilling all three commitments required for the opening of Cluster 3.

While Starović reported strong assurances regarding the opening of Cluster 3, he clarified that no guarantees have been issued, mentioning that the final decision rests with all 27 EU member states, which requires consensus among them.

"We can fulfill our obligations, but no one can ultimately provide absolute guarantees that meeting these obligations will result in the opening of Cluster 3 by the end of July.

They can assure us that we will receive support from European institutions in Brussels, but everyone is aware that there must be a consensus among the 27 member states," Starović explained.

He added that Serbia is actively engaging with all member states while also fulfilling its technical obligations.

Starović noted that representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for European Integration, and the Speaker of the Serbian Assembly, Ana Brnabić, have been involved in high-level discussions with European officials to present the progress made.

He highlighted the reestablished dialogue with the Baltic states, the Netherlands, and many other partners, asserting that Serbia is on the right path to achieving the consensus necessary to open Cluster 3 by the end of July.

Starović pointed out that Serbia has been awaiting the opening of this cluster for three and a half years, recalling that in December 2021, the European Commission first issued a positive recommendation to open both Cluster 4 and Cluster 3, with Cluster 4 subsequently being opened.

He noted that Cluster 3 remained pending due to the necessity of constitutional amendments, which have since been enacted following a referendum held in January 2022.

However, the situation has changed following the onset of the Ukraine war in February 2022, which altered the dynamics of international relations.

Since then, while Serbia has received positive recommendations, final approval remains contingent on member states.

Addressing potential obstacles, Starović acknowledged the possibility of certain EU member states presenting expectations that are not directly linked to Serbia’s technical obligations and the risk that such demands could pose additional political barriers.

He cited the example of North Macedonia in this context, indicating ongoing efforts to prevent similar challenges.