Fourth meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council took place today in Brussels with participation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. Read main conclusions of the SA Council here.

After the meeting, Federica Mogherini welcomed Serbia’s engagement in the dialogue with Pristina, noting that the dialogue has entered a new phase, marked by direct participation of the two Presidents and a change in format, agenda and speed.

Mogherini told the press in Brussels that her role as a facilitator was to make the dialogue more visible and protect the space for the two parties to work on it.

“For me, it is essential to facilitate the process and protect the space for the two parties to work on it. You have seen that there have been meetings at the level of Presidents,” Mogherini said and added that she believed a qualitative leap would be made next year along with further normalisation of relations.

“The objective is not the dialogue, but the normalisation of relations,” Mogherini noted and recalled that Serbia knew well that its European Union perspective was linked to success in the dialogue with Pristina.

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“It means finding a place where the region wins, where the two sides win, even if everyone has to give up something. What matters is for us all to work on finding a sustainable solution,” Mogherini explains.

Mogherini pointed to importance of implementation of the previously reached agreements, particularly regarding the Community of Serb Municipalities, but also on energy, adding that the implementation required further work from both sides.

She welcomed the determination and the political will to move forward in this process, commending the launch of an internal dialogue in Serbia in particular.

Mogherini said such an approach responded to the key principle that is at the basis of the foundation of the EU – more than looking to the past, institutions and citizens are looking at future and cooperation.

“Stability, peace, good neighbourly relations, reconciliation and cooperation are the fundamental principles on which the EU is built,” she said.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that EU integration was the most important strategic goal of the country, adding that Belgrade is deeply committed to the dialogue with Pristina, regional cooperation and connectivity.

She also called on Pristina to start the implementation of the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities as a key precondition for success of the dialogue and overall normalisation of relations with Belgrade.

Brnabic told the press that her coming to the SA Council was meant to show the importance Serbian Government attached to EU’s messages and the focus it put on the fulfilment of accession requirements.

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that Brnabic’s coming to Brussels showed Serbia’s commitment to EU integration and added that the European Commission would put forward an accession strategy for the Western Balkans in February 2018, as announced by Juncker in his State of the Union address.

“I like to think of it as a process, not negotiations, because on that path there is no speed limit. It is up to Serbia to set its own pace, but what matters most is the quality. It would be a good thing if you could manage to coordinate the speed with quality,” Hahn said.

Hahn underlined he was optimistic that Serbia would very soon open new negotiating chapters.