Eight out of 27 member states opposed opening another round of accession talks with Serbia at a meeting attended by European Union ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, three EU diplomats confirmed to Euronews.
The member states that oppose opening Cluster 3 –which centres on competitiveness and inclusive growth – were the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Croatia.
The three member states that remain less opposed but not convinced are Denmark, Luxembourg and Latvia, while general supporters of Serbian accession include power brokerFrance.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously stated that the bloc requires a “strong and democratic Serbia” by its side.
Supportive states are concerned about the risk of further alienating the Western Balkans country and not rewarding it for attempted reforms.
