Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic says the EU Commission’s report on implementing action plans for negotiating chapters 23 and 24 will not affect the opening of new chapters, arguing that France’s “non-paper” does not apply to Serbia and Montenegro, which have opened accession talks with EU.

According to MIA correspondent in Belgrade, Joksimovic told Radio Television Serbia that the French proposal is an “informal document”, which refers to the candidate countries, and Serbia has opened accession talks.

It could hardly refer to and difficult to apply in Serbia and Montenegro’s negotiation processes, Joksimovic said, noting that Macedonia and Albania are candidates, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo – potential candidates.

She announced that she would talk to the French ambassador in Belgrade on the subject.

How and who would measure what stage we are in with the new methodology, she asked.

Joksimovic also in Blic’s analysis of the meaning of the French “informal document” for Serbia, which has so far opened 17 of 34 chapters and closed two chapters, reminds that “not all countries of the region have the same status with the EU.”

The European Council has defined its framework for negotiations with Serbia, as well as with Montenegro. The rules governing the negotiation of Serbia are set out in a document adopted by the 28 member states in January 2014, including France. That is why I believe the new approach would be poorly applied to countries that have already started negotiations and recognized as leaders in this process in Juncker’s credible 2018 enlargement strategy, Joksimovic said.