New negotiations on this issue have been scheduled after EU member state ambassadors failed to agree last week on the opening of Group 3, which refers to competitiveness and inclusive growth, while eight countries were opposed to it.

As Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić later stated, three Baltic countries, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, Croatia and Bulgaria, opposed it.

Among the countries supporting the opening of the cluster is Hungary, as President of the EU Council.

In the report on Serbia, published as part of the 2024 Enlargement package, the European Commission said that cluster 3 is technically ready to open and stressed that the overall pace of negotiations will continue to depend on state reforms of law and the normalization of relations. between Belgrade and Pristina.

Group 3 includes eight chapters related to the information society and media, taxation, economic and monetary policy, social policy and employment, entrepreneurship and industrial policy, science and research, education and culture and the customs union.

Serbia last opened negotiating chapters with the EU in December 2021.