First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dačić met today with members of the delegation of the EU Council's Committee on Enlargement (COELA).

The delegation is on a three-day visit to Belgrade, at the initiative of Italy, which assumed Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July.

Minister Dačić informed diplomats from 28 EU Member States and representatives of the European Commission about the reforms and legislative activities pursued by the Republic of Serbia aimed at opening the first chapters in the negotiation process by the end of the year. The screening meetings held so far, within which we have completed screenings for 14 chapters, whereas seven are still in progress, have been assessed as successful and Serbia demonstrated its good administrative capacities.

In view of the fact that the bilateral screening meeting on Chapter 31 – EU foreign, security and defence policy, will take place on 10 October and that the principal actor will be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to be attended also by Minister Dačić, particular attention was devoted to areas relevant to the consideration of this chapter, including support for the EU foreign and security policy and regional cooperation in the Balkans. Minister Dačić took the opportunity to inform COELA of Serbia's intensive international agenda and numerous foreign policy activities, underlining in particular the vast responsibility that Serbia will bear next year as the OSCE Chair-in-Office and the importance of this chairmanship for the entire region.

Minister Dačić expressed his expectation that EU Member States would recognize and take note of the efforts that Serbia had been making in the context of the European integration process, as this would help maintain the planned dynamics concerning the opening of the first negotiating chapters by the end of 2014.