If everything goes as it should, I can say that the first chapters might be opened by the end of the year, Schulz told a joint press conference after meeting with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.
I hope we will manage to reach agreements with Pristina much earlier and that initial chapters will be opened in October. I am quite certain that they will be opened before the end of the year, Vucic said.
Schulz said that the opening of chapters depended on a lot of things, not just on the agreement with Pristina, but that it certainly was an important element.
Schulz commended the Serbian prime minister for his political involvement in the region and said that his visits to Albania and Croatia, his contribution to dialogue with Kosovo, and the reception of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Belgrade were extraordinary signs of courage and Serbia's constructive role in the region and contribution to stability.
Schulz also described as a courageous move Vucic's attendance at the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and condemned the attack on Vucic during the ceremony, emphasising Vucic's message that despite everything he would continue the policy of reconciliation.
Noting that Serbia was not forgotten in Brussels, Schulz said that the EU was looking with expectation to the key role Serbia could play in promoting stability, economic and infrastructure links and sustainable development in the region.
Speaking of illegal migrations, Schulz said that as many as 1,000 migrants and refugees crossed the Serbian borders daily, which exceeded the country's reception capacity. He said that Europe needed an effective solution based on solidarity and that erecting walls in Europe was not an answer. He added that the European Parliament does not support Hungary's decision to build a 175-km-long fence along its border with Serbia to keep out migrants and refugees.