According to a presidency statement on Tuesday, the Hungarian EU presidency has made a major step forward in advancing EU enlargement as EU affairs ministers in Brussels have approved opening a third chapter group for Serbia.
Bálint Ódor, the head of Hungary's Permanent Representation to the European Union, has sent a letter to the Serbian head of EU Mission on behalf of the Council of the European Union, inviting Serbia to submit its negotiating position on Chapter 16 on taxation and Chapter 19 on social policy and employment, which belong to the third group of chapters covering the topic of competitiveness and inclusive growth, the statement said.
Ódor wrote on the X platform that this "significant step" for Serbia energises accession negotiations and the enlargement process.
The EU Council has held two intergovernmental conferences. On Monday, three accession chapters were closed with Montenegro, while on Tuesday the second group was opened with Albania, the statement noted.