The European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Affairs, Oliver Varhelyi, said on Tuesday that the incompatibility of Serbia’s foreign policy with that of the EU regarding sanctions against Russia is a “serious issue”.

In a debate organized for Serbia, in the European Parliament, he called for the authorities in Serbia to properly communicate the benefits that come from the European integration process, mentioning the fact that the EU “is and will remain a partner, donor and the biggest investor in Serbia”.

This commissioner said that in the process of membership negotiations, Serbia has so far opened 22 of the 35 negotiating chapters and that, according to the assessment of the European Commission, a whole block of negotiating chapters is technically ready to be opened.

He welcomed Serbia’s progress in adapting to the EU visa regime.

The Commission has also welcomed the reaching of the Agreement for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and has requested to implement, without delays and without conditions, all obligations, specifically mentioning the one for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo.