The head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Belgrade, Vincent Degert, said on Monday that Serbia still had a lot to do before it could open negotiations with the EU, stressing that it was very important to open that part of the European integration process.
Degert was commenting on a statement made on Sunday by Prime Minister Ivica Dacic that it was not acceptable to Serbia if on June 28 it was not given a date to start accession negotiations but only a "green light" and that in that case Belgrade would consider itself deceived.
Degert said that he could understand that the PM and the Serbian government expected a decision on a date to open negotiations and hoped that this would be the case.
This is what Catherine Ashton and the European Commission have proposed and I hope that the negotiations will be opened and then things will get along on their way and that will be decided when we all sit at the same table. But there are still several steps that need to be taken, he said attending a social project supported by the EU in Belgrade.
Degert was quoted by Serbian electronic media as saying that before Serbia could open accession negotiations it had to take several steps and the "next step will be the creation of a negotiating team" and that Serbia had to follow recommendations made by the European Commission.
Degert had said on Saturday that "in June, the European Council will not be deciding about a date for the start of the talks, but rather about giving the 'green light' for the negotiations", and suggested that Belgrade should set up a negotiating team, pointing out that "such a team in Croatia was composed of about 2,000 experts in all fields".
