Serbia expects to join EU in the next 10 years

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić has said that he is “certain” Serbia will become the European Union’s next member.

In an interview for CNN, Dačić said, “We would like Serbia to become a member of the European Union as quickly as possible,” and added that he expected this to happen “within the next ten years.”

Dačić said that a solution for Kosovo was “not easy to find, especially in this phase where things have gone too far,” and that a “better and more just” solution could have been found earlier, “avoiding the war and tensions in the region.”

“We have always made it clear that we cannot and will not try to bring our problems to the EU with us. This is another reason why we are conducting this open dialogue in order to normalize the relationship and solve our problems before accession.”

“But that does not mean a change of policy when it comes to recognizing Kosovo,” he added.

Speaking about the economy, he singled out the country’s unemployment rate – which CNN said was “25 percent, sitting below only Spain and Greece in the EU” – noting that “discussing economic reforms in Serbia is futile until industrial productivity increases.”