00:00The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen continued her tour of the Western Balkans
00:06with a visit to Belgrade where she arrived yesterday evening.
00:10She met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Juro Matsut
00:16and the main topics of the meeting were the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,
00:21Energy Issue and Reform Agenda.
00:24According to the Growth Plan, Belgrade will receive 1,580,000,000 euros of financial aid.
00:33Distribution is conditioned by the regulation of media legislation,
00:38the updating of voter lists and progress in the rule of law as the part of mentioned reform agenda.
00:47She emphasized that now is the right moment for Serbia to accelerate reforms in the area of the rule of law and media legislation.
00:57When it comes to the energy situation, let us remind you that the oil industry of Serbia is under the U.S. sanctions since the beginning of October.
01:08Considering the circumstances, von der Leyen added that Belgrade can count on support from Brussels.
01:15Mr. President, now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete about joining our union.
01:22My first point is that we need to see progress on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom.
01:31I know these reforms are not easy.
01:35They take patience and endurance.
01:39They must include all parts of society and the political spectrum.
01:43But they are worth the effort.
01:48After her visit to Belgrade, Ursula von der Leyen will visit Kosovo and North Macedonia,
01:55ending her tour of Western Balkan countries this year.
01:59Previously, the President of the European Commission visited Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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