The Minister for European Integration, Nemanja Starović, stated today that Serbia is very close to holding elections for members of the REM Council and to adopting the Law on the Unified Electoral Roll.
This, he noted, would once again unlock the possibility of opening Cluster 3 by the end of the year. He also emphasised that the recognition of the so-called Kosovo is not a formal requirement for EU membership.
Nemanja Starović said that Serbia is close to completing the set of assumed reform commitments and that, regarding the election of REM Council members, some progress had been made in recent weeks. He added that he expected amendments to the Law on the Unified Electoral Roll to be adopted very soon.
“This will once again unlock the possibility of opening Cluster 3 by the end of this year. I would not take it upon myself to make any announcements or promises, as the final decision rests with the 27 member states, but I believe we are close to that moment,” Starović told K1 Television.
“Recognition of Kosovo is not a formal requirement for EU membership”
When asked whether Kosovo is “the greatest obstacle and challenge” on Serbia’s path to the EU, Starović said that the recognition of the so-called Kosovo is not a formal condition and that the negotiation framework, specifically Chapter 35, defines the obligation to reach a comprehensive, legally binding agreement on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
“Of course, some interpret this as an obligation for mutual recognition, but it is written nowhere in such a way, because if it were defined like that, our path to EU membership would obviously come to an end, since protecting vital national interests is everyone’s foremost concern,” Starović underlined.
“Vučić rightly said there is a possibility we could become an EU member before 2030”
He stated that, as far as the political leadership charted by President Aleksandar Vučić is concerned, there is no question of abandoning vital national interests, and he expressed his conviction that Serbia can still make progress towards EU membership.
“I believe this will become evident in the time ahead. President Vučić rightly said that there is a possibility we could become a member before 2030, but we are speaking of a possibility, as not everything is in our hands—it also depends on the political consensus among the EU member states,” Starović pointed out.
He added that there is a certain principle according to which no candidate country can become a full member if it has unresolved territorial disputes. However, Cyprus, for example, became a member in 2004, even though it does not control one-third of its territory.
“We now see a certain shift in approach when it comes to some other candidate countries. We hear statements that the fact that Ukraine or Moldova do not fully control their territory should not mean their path to EU membership is closed. We must be ready to use such precedents and changes in approach to advance our national interests,” Starović emphasised.
(Blic, 27.10.2025)