EU accession talks with Serbia to start 21 January 2014

The foreign ministers of EU member states have adopted a framework for accession talks with Serbia. As EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule announced, the first EU-Serbia intergovernmental conference will be held January 21st. .

Fule said that all ministers had complimented the process of normalization of the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina that had led to a true progress.

As Stefan Fule explained, the exact date for the start of accession talks with Serbia is set by Greece which is going take over the EU Presidency on January 1st.

When asked why the concrete date was not mentioned in the conclusions of the Council of Ministers, Fule replied that a formal decision on that would be made by the Council of Europe that was going to meet on December 19-20.

- Ministers have never made a decision on the concrete date before, and I expect the Council of Europe to set January 21st as the official date for the start of accession talks with Serbia - Fule announced.