BELGRADE, October 31. /TASS/. Membership in the European Union continues to be Serbia’s strategic goal, believing that this will ensure its accelerated development and a better life for its citizens, Serbian President Alexander Vucic said.

"European integration and EU membership remain our strategic priority. This is not only a geopolitical choice but also a path to a more robust development of the country and a better life for our citizens," he said on his Instagram page (Instagram is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist) after a meeting with EU Ambassador to Belgrade Andreas von Beckerath.

"We are still determined to continue reforms that are crucial for Serbia’s progress, including reforms in the area of the supremacy of law, strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring better transparency," Vucic said.

He also stressed that Serbia "remains a responsible and reliable partner for the EU, and is committed to peace, stability, and prosperity on the continent." "We share common European values, namely the supremacy of law, solidarity, and freedom," he added.

Earlier, Vucic called on the Serbian government to implement all of the European Union’s requirements, even where they may not be convenient, to speed up European integration. According to the Serbian leader, the country should demonstrate its ability to follow the European path and readiness to implement its commitments as far as reforms are concerned. He noted however that the level of popular support for Serbia’s EU aspirations had dropped by half in the past two decades, from 80% to 40% and linked this rather to domestic than external factors.

Official candidates for EU membership are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Montenegro. Brussels is exerting pressure on Serbia to accept granting this status to the unrecognized republic of Kosovo, which would actually mean the official recognition of its independence.