Head of the EU Mission to Serbia Vincent Degert said Monday that Serbia has made progress on its EU pathway, but there are still problems which have to be solved, and added that on October 12, the European Commission will acknowledge whether it deems Serbia ready for becoming an EU candidate country.

He underlined that until October 12, when the European Commission is to deliver its progress reports about Serbia and other EU aspirant countries, there is still time to resolve outstanding issues. When asked whether the EC has already completed its report and whether the issue of Kosovo remained open, Degert said that will be known when the EC publishes its report.

He added that Serbia has also achieved progress with regard to the Kosovo issue, recalling the joint resolution of Serbia and the EU which was adopted in the UN, as well as the start of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in March. He underlined that the dialogue has already yielded certain results, drawing attention to the cadastre issue, abolition of the ban on trade and customs stamps.

Degert said that there are still problems which should be resolved, but voiced opinion that they will be overcome during this week. Degert underscored that Serbia has made progress on its EU pathway, especially as regards the regional cooperation.

The reform process is underway, which is illustrated by the number of adopted laws in the Serbian parliament. In the recent years, an advance in regional cooperation has also been achieved. We are committed to improving relations between the regional countries, Degert told journalists.

Prior to this, Degert attended a press conference which was organized by the Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities and the Administration for Public Procurements.

When asked whether EULEX will carry out an investigation into the murder of a Serb in the Orahovac municipality in Kosovo, he said that the inquiry will be conducted by relevant authorities, but that it will be monitored by EULEX. Degert, however, added that EULEX is not directly responsible for this investigation.