News from Berlin - Frank – Welter Steinmeier will meet with Serbian First Deputy Minister and FM Ivica Dacic in Berlin this August. The main aim of the meeting is to discuss the possible accession of Serbia to the European Union.

The meeting takes place on August 28 in Berlin as part of the  Conference on the Eastern Balkans. In the world of diplomacy an invitation sent on behalf of the German minister is a sign of German favourable view of Serbian membership of the Union. Serbia’s accession was stipulated in a document signed in 2008.

The project of Serbian accession is already underway, especially after the Thessaloniki European Council summit in 2003 when the Serbian accession was recommended. However, German support is still of crucial importance. Germany has been a key partner of Serbia in the European Union since the country’s transition to democracy in autumn 2000. Germany’s help includes assistance in areas such as public infrastructure, promotion of economic revitalisation, the development of municipalities and youth work (e.g. student exchanges).

The Conference is one of the many steps taken to integrate the Western Balkans into the European structure.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global