CoR working group on the Western Balkans to intensify cooperation with Serbia on its path to the EU

Local and regional representatives from the EU countries and Serbia met today in the framework of the Committee of the Regions' Working Group on the Western Balkans. The debate will focus on the developments in EU-Serbia relations, their impact on local authorities and the state of local democracy in the process of EU accession.

Since March 2012, Serbia has been an officially recognized EU accession candidate. In line with the European Council's decision of June 2013 to open accession negotiations with Serbia, the Council held its first Intergovernmental Conference with Serbia in January 2014, signaling the formal start of Serbia's accession negotiations.

At the beginning of the meeting and referring to the devastating recent floods in Serbia , Mia De Vits (BE/PES), Chair of the Working Group on Western Balkans and member of the Flemish Parliament, pointed out: "We are very keen to hear from our Serbian local partners about the situation on the ground and to discuss how we can help. We will also discuss about our future cooperation, now that Serbia's EU accession process has really made an important step forward, which also gives us in the Committee of the Regions the opportunity to 'upgrade' and intensify our cooperation."

The first debate session focused on the role of local and regional representatives in the enlargement process, which is fundamental for political and social reforms in candidate countries. Presentations by Duško Lopandić, Head of Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the EU, and Manuel Munteanu from the Enlargement Directorate General of the European Commission, served as a basis for the discussion.

Members of the Working Group also exchanged views on the current situation of decentralisation in Serbia. Speakers on this topic included Dejan Jovanovic , Member of Niš City Assembly also representing the Standing Conference of Town and Municipalities of Serbia, Miodrag Milosevic, Deputy Head of Mayor’s office Novi Sad, and Olivera Drenovac, Member of the City Assembly, City of Kruševac.

• See meeting agenda for more information

The CoR's Working Group on Western Balkans:

The Working Group on relations with the Western Balkans, which currently includes Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, meets twice a year. It is composed of 12 CoR members and operates on a country-by-country approach, ensuring that each meeting is dedicated to a specific Western Balkan country. This meeting was the last one focussing on Serbia, given that the Committee of the Regions is to establish a fully-fledged Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) with Serbian sub-national authorities. Such JCC will allow for a more consistent and stable dialogue between local and regional authorities from the EU Member States and their counterparts in Serbia