Grlic-Radman: Serbia must meet requirements from key negotiating chapters

On Tuesday, at an intergovernmental conference on EU accession, Serbia will open negotiations in the fourth cluster, which covers chapters on the transport policy, energy, and environmental protection.

"Opening those chapters could be an incentive, but also an obligation for Serbia to meet the requirements for the next clusters and chapters," said Grlic-Radman.

For further progress, however, Serbia must deal with war crimes, the war missing, and the status of national minorities, he added.

"It's high time Serbia started prosecuting war crimes, started an investigation into the missing, of whom there are still 1,858, and ensuring minority rights. Those are fundamental areas and it's not just a bilateral issue, it concerns the European acquis as well. We are not satisfied with the status of the Croatian community in Serbia."

As for Montenegro, which is neither opening nor closing any cluster this time, Grlic-Radman said Croatia fully supported it. "It's in our interest that Montenegro go towards the European Union. I think meeting the criteria from chapters 23 and 24 (judiciary and fundamental rights) should not be in question for Montenegro."