"Tomorrow's opening of the first chapters in EU accession negotiations is a historic day for Serbia. Not only is it an acknowledgment for all the efforts put in by the Republic of Serbia, but also an indicator that Serbia's EU path is irreversible, and that it aspires to a society based on European values.

Serbia is ready for the opening of negotiating chapters, with an unhidden agenda to complete the negotiation process by 2019, for all the difficulties that are bound to await us along the way, so that we could apply for EU membership in 2020 and avoid having to wait for the next EU seven-year budget cycle.

This is a giant leap, but we still need to make major strides. Time has proven that the Government of the Republic of Serbia, led by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, is both ready and capable of making such historic headway", Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said.