JOKSIMOVIC: BALL IS IN EU'S COURT

Serbia's minister without portfolio in charge of European integrations Jadranka Joksimovic said on April 10 that Serbia had fulfilled all of the requirements connected to opening Chapter 23, and that it expected EU institutions to react on Croatia's opposition to the chapter's opening.

"The ball is now in the EU's court, because all decisions by member states require a consensus," Joksimovic told reporters in Belgrade.

The minister said that 27 members of the Union approved of opening Chapter 23, and that only Croatia was against it, which is why the European Commission should react before anyone else.

Joksimovic said that possible reasons behind Croatia's negative position was to win points at home on bilateral issues and political-bilateral issues.

The Committee on EU Enlargement (COELA) working group reached a consensus in Brussels, on April 8, that Chapter 24 be opened in Serbia's accession talks with the Union in June, but Croatia is still the only member refusing to consent to opening Chapter 23, the EU officials monitoring the COELA meeting told BETA.

(Beta, 10.04.2016)