Jelica Minić: If Cluster 3 is opened, the reasons will be exclusively geopolitical

Serbia's potential opening of Cluster 3 in its European Union accession negotiations would be driven solely by geopolitical considerations, not by the country's fulfillment of necessary conditions, according to Jelica Minić of the European Movement in Serbia.

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If Cluster 3 is opened, the reasons for it will be exclusively geopolitical.

Minić told the newspaper Danas that Cluster 3 might open not because Serbia has done everything required, but precisely because of what it has failed to do. She suggested that in such a scenario, the government of Aleksandar Vučić would continue to navigate challenges until facing a significant crisis domestically or internationally.

Addressing reports of opposition from the Netherlands, Sweden, and three Baltic states, Minić stated that Serbia has effectively halted its own progress toward Europe, showing significant regression in recent years. She pointed to resolutions from the European Parliament and annual European Commission reports on Serbia's pre-accession progress as evidence.

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Cluster 3 could possibly be opened not because of everything necessary that Serbia has done respecting the conditions and procedures, but precisely because of everything it has not done.

Minić also highlighted Serbia's "creative genius" in rapidly amending judicial laws without consultation, only to claim readiness for repairs when the EU expressed concerns. She criticized the government's approach of sending "partial fixes and different versions of fixes" to Europe, demanding funding based on these perceived reforms.

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In that case, the regime of Aleksandar Vučić continues to swim, until the first major whirlpool at home or abroad.

She cautioned that the European Commission cannot approve payments without tangible results, especially concerning the roughly six billion euro Instrument for Reforms and Growth for the Western Balkans, which funds the Growth Plan. This process requires adherence to specific provisions and procedures.

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The diagnosis is more accurate that Serbia itself has stopped on the path to Europe and has been seriously regressing in recent years.