Vucevic: Our serious reforms should be verified by opening Cluster 3 in EU talks

BELGRADE - Serbia remains on the EU path as it is our strategic goal to become an EU member state, Serbian PM Milos Vucevic said on Monday, adding that the serious reforms Serbia was carrying out needed to be verified by opening Cluster 3 in its EU accession talks.

"By then, we have time to align with their foreign and security policy on issues where we do not have identical positions. We are carrying out serious reforms, and I believe that needs to be verified by opening Cluster 3," Vucevic told Pink TV.

He said that, when it comes to the attitude towards the EU, reactions from citizens were usually instant and emotional and that an anti-EU sentiment among some Serbians was due to the pressure on Serbia over the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija.

"When you have that vociferous narrative about the territorial integrity of Ukraine while the same thing is being denied to Serbia, that creates disgruntlement and an impression of injustice among the citizens," said Vucevic, adding that even the membership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party was divided on the matter, with one half being for the EU and the other being for BRICS.