Hahn Visits Serbia to Push Accession Talks

On his second visit to Belgrade since taking over as EU Enlargement Commissioner last autumn, Hahn is meeting President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic among other officials.

Ahead of his visit, Hahn said Serbia and the EU should start accession talks soon, and he was there to help Belgrade finish the reforms it had started.

"Serbia can count on my support to help the EU members states to achieve necessary unanimity [to approve the opening of the talks]. But to achieve this, it needs to maintain its efforts in implementing reforms and to remain committed to a dialogue with Kosovo," Hahn told the daily newspaper Politika on May 7.

"Clear progress on both fronts will give me the best argument to convince our member states," he added.

He said the EU's priority chapters were 23, 24 and 35, regarding justice, freedom and security, and normalization of relations with Kosovo.

To discuss the progress that Serbia has made, Hahn is expected also to meet Serbia's EU integration, justice and interior ministers, as well as NGO representatives and the Ombudsman.

"It is important for Serbia to make clear progress on these issues in order to convince the member states of its clear commitment to EU values and interests," he said.

"All 28 EU member states have reiterated that they expect the opening of the first chapter, and I am confident that unanimity will be achieved very quickly," Hahn told Politika.

The Commissioner is due to discuss economic structural reforms with Serbia's finance and economy ministers, Dusan Vujovic and Zeljko Sertic, while he will also meet the opposition leaders, Bojan Pajtic and Boris Tadic.