
European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said the criteria for Serbia are very clear and that good neighborly relations are part of the conditions for the European Union (EU) path for each and every candidate country.
“Serbia is making progress on its EU path. If you look at Cluster 3, it is ready for opening. It is also very clear that common foreign and security alignment, with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, became an even more important topic for the member states. So now the member states are looking at the level of compliance even closer,” Varhelyi told the Bulgarian news agency Bgnes.
Regarding North Macedonia’s EU path, Varhelyi said the criteria are very clear, that the negotiating framework includes all the criteria that need to be met.
Asked by a reporter if changes to these criteria can be expected, since some North Macedonian politicians have been saying that changes might be made to the negotiating framework, Varhelyi said he does not anticipate any changes.
“I think that the criteria are very clear since 2022 when the negotiating framework was adopted. In the negotiating framework are all the criteria that need to be met and therefore I do not anticipate any change. I don’t think that the member states would want to revisit any of the conditions so it is clear what would need to be met,” Varhelyi told an interview with Bgnes, the North Macedonian media reported.