BELGRADE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Serbia is not discouraged by the European Commission announcement that the country would enter the European Union (EU) in 2025, Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Friday.
She gave this statement at a joint press conference with the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn.
Brnabic said that the date for becoming a member of the EU is "important as a framework, but it is the most important to implement reforms for the benefit of citizens and Serbia."
"I see our path to the EU on three pillars -- one is the economic strengthening and the reforms, that is where we have made the most progress in the last three years. The second is the reform of public administration, and the third is the rule of law, in order to have a more efficient judiciary," Brnabic said.
She estimated that during the integration process, the country would benefit from being a more just society, having more transparent public administration and a stable and predictable business environment, as well as decreased corruption.
Hahn pointed out that in 2025, the date of Serbia's accession to the EU mentioned by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "is not cut in the stone, but something that shows a strong commitment of the EU to the region."
"What matters is quality, which is more important than speed. If these two things can be harmonized, then it is good, but quality is crucial," Hahn said.
Hahn also met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and discussed the country's progress in European integration.
Vucic told Hahn that "the place of the whole region is in the European Union and that without inclusion of the Western Balkans region, the joint economic and political space of the European continent will not be complete."
