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Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn received Jadranka Joksimović, Minister for European Integration, in Luxembourg
Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn received Serbian Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimović on 25th June 2018 for a bilateral meeting at the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The two ministers had an exchange of views on the process of Serbia's accession to the European Union, the regional situation as well as on the bilateral relations between their countries. Minister Asselborn welcomed the progress made by Serbia in the current accession negotiations and was confident that additional chapters could be opened in the coming months. "The reforms currently being implemented by the government in the framework of the accession negotiations are not only an investment in peace, security and stability in Europe, but will also make Serbia a more prosperous country," said Minister Asselborn.
The two ministers reviewed the progress made and the challenges identified in the recent report on Serbia published by the European Commission as part of the enlargement package. In this context, Minister Asselborn notably encouraged the Serbian authorities to continue their efforts in the field of the rule of law as well as the independence and efficiency of the judiciary.
The two ministers also discussed the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina in the wake of the meeting of the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi. In this context, Minister Asselborn welcomed the constructive dialogue between the two sides and expressed his hope that an agreement on the normalisation of relations could be reached in the near future.
Both sides also touched on the bilateral support that Luxembourg provides to Serbia in the framework of the accession process. Minister Asselborn confirmed that "Luxembourg will continue to support Serbia's reform efforts through targeted technical and financial assistance". In the framework of its bilateral assistance, Luxembourg has since 2009 been organising training courses and seminars aimed at familiarising the Serbian administration with the acquis communautaire.
