"The EU wants Serbia"
Enlargement is a priority for the EU, says the European Parliament's Rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilčik.
Source: Beta
He added that during her visit to Belgrade, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, clearly stated that the EU wants Serbia to join the bloc.
Bilčik said that the EC president's message is that the EU wants Serbia to become its member, but that Serbia must introduce changes and fulfill certain things, especially when it comes to aligning with the EU's foreign policy.
Commenting on the EC President's visit to the Western Balkans, he assessed for the Guardian that a very clear message was sent to Belgrade and Pristina regarding the normalization of relations.
"What is very clear is that enlargement is a big priority for the EU. It is the main political priority of the Union that we haven't seen in years," Bilcik said. Bilčik also assessed that the timing of Ursula von der Leyen's visit was extremely important and in that context pointed to the announcement of elections in Serbia and the fact that enlargement will be the main issue on the agenda in Brussels next week.
"The ball is also largely in the hands of our partners," said Bilcik and emphasized that "partners must commit".
As he added, the way in which the EU is united around enlargement is "unprecedented".
