Serbia aims for EU accession by 2027 amidst global controversies

Serbia remains focused on its path to the European Union and will be fully ready for accession by 2027, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Dziurić said on Wednesday.

"Serbia will complete all essential reforms—political, institutional, economic, and legal—by 2027. And it will be ready to become part of the European family," Dziurić said in an interview with the Italian agency Nova.

He stressed that full membership also means "complete and equal access to electoral rights and decision-making processes" within the EU and shared obligations and responsibilities.

Dziurić added that Belgrade closely followed the results of the European Parliament elections and that its new composition is an opportunity to "build a new network of friends." The politician also expressed hope that the process of expanding to the Western Balkans will become the focus of European institutions.

Responding to a question about the refusal to join sanctions imposed on Russia, a Serbian government representative recalled that "Serbia has voted for all UN resolutions in favor of Ukraine's territorial integrity since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Serbia is committed to peace and a ceasefire. We try to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people: we understand their suffering well, as we had to face difficult times ourselves in the 1990s.."

On Tuesday, opposing the position adopted by the EU, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić congratulated Nicolas Maduro on his victory in the presidential elections in Venezuela. Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said that day in a statement that until the voting protocols are made public and verified, the announced results of the elections in Venezuela "cannot be recognized."

Venezuela's electoral commission announced that Sunday's presidential election was won by the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, who received 51 percent of the vote. Since the election results were announced, bloody demonstrations and clashes with the police have been ongoing in the country.