(Bloomberg) -- Serbia hopes to resume European Union entry talks as the U.K., which voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, dropped objections to opening negotiations on rule-of-law policies with the Balkan country, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said.
Croatia's opposition to starting talks on home order issues may also be overcome by the end of the day, Vucic, who attended a meeting between EU leaders and Western Balkan officials in Paris, said in live broadcast on Monday.
“Today was a very good day for Serbia and we have got green light to open chapters 23 and 24 on July 19,” Vucic said. “Angela Merkel congratulated us and asked everyone to support Serbia on its EU path.”
The EU refused last week to start talks on law-and-order issues with Serbia. Vucic has yet to form a new government after winning April 24 snap elections on a pro-EU platform. He has pledged to reduce the country's debt and deficit, trim the administration and close or sell state companies that drain more than $1 billion from the budget each year. He also plans to bring the country into the EU by 2020.
--With assistance from Gordana Filipovic To contact the reporter on this story: Misha Savic in Belgrade at msavic2@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: James M. Gomez at jagomez@bloomberg.net, Andrew Atkinson
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