Joksimovic: Serbia appreciates Czech Republic’s support

BELGRADE - Serbia appreciates Czech Republic's support for efforts to open the first EU accession negotiating chapters by the end of the year, Serbia's Minister without Portfolio in charge of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic said during a meeting Tuesday with Miroslav Krejca, chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Joksimovic voiced confidence that the EU member states would recognize the efforts made by Serbia in the implementation of comprehensive reforms and that Chapter 32, relating to financial control of the budget, would be opened at the end of the year.

She stressed that implementing structural reforms was one of the government's key objectives, not just for the sake of European integration, but also because there was the need to create a functional state administration, according to a release from the minister's cabinet.

Joksimovic said that European integration was an additional incentive to implementing reforms.

Krejca shared with Minister Joksimovic some of the experience that the Czech Republic acquired in the European integration process, pointing in particular to challenges they encountered along the way, said the release.

Photo Tanjug, T. Valic (archive)