Belgrade, Oct 26 (IANS) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during her official visit to Serbia, where they discussed the country's progress toward European Union (EU) accession, regional stability, and economic cooperation.

According to the Serbian President's office on Friday, the two leaders reviewed projects funded by the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the meeting, Vucic emphasised that Serbia's European path is crucial for its development, and the country is committed to working diligently toward that goal, hoping for positive outcomes.

Von der Leyen presented the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which aims to better align the region's economies with the EU and create new opportunities for Serbian businesses while stressing the necessity of implementing reforms beforehand.

Vucic was speaking at a joint news conference in Belgrade after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was in Serbia as part of a trip this week to the Western Balkans to assure countries hoping to become EU members that enlargement remains a priority for the bloc.

Vucic said von der Leyen asked Serbia for "much greater compliance with the EU's foreign policy declarations" during their meeting.

Serbia has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. However, Vucic declined Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan this week.

After meeting with von der Leyen, Vucic repeated several times that Serbia was on a European path but also said that it would maintain traditionally good relations with other countries.

Von der Leyen said her presence in Belgrade was a testament to the EU's wish to see Serbia become a member.

"What I see is that the President of the Republic of Serbia is hosting me here today and just has hosted the Prime Minister of Greece and the Prime Minister of Poland. That speaks for itself, I think," Von der Leyen said at the joint press conference.

She noted that it was her fourth trip to Serbia since taking office, calling that "a very clear sign that I believe that Serbia's future is in the European Union".

Vucic said it was possible that the next chapter in Serbia's accession talks could be opened by the end of the year, saying this would be "a significant signal that Serbia is progressing on the European path".

Von der Leyen also raised the possibility of Serbia becoming a "leader in the field of electric vehicles" about controversial plans to begin mining lithium in western Serbia.

"It is the industry of tomorrow and we are here to support you every step of the way. We estimate that our great partnership in the field of critical raw materials will bring 20,000 jobs to Serbia and 6 billion euros to Serbia's gross domestic product," she said.

British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto plans to create Europe's biggest lithium mine in Serbia's Jadar Valley, which could provide about one-fifth of the needs for Europe's electric-vehicle production, but the plans to open the mine have been met with opposition, largely on environmental grounds.

Von der Leyen said that the people of Serbia can be sure that the project will "respect and preserve nature" in Serbia and that mining operators will "always listen and cooperate with local communities".

Her meeting with Vucic took place in the Palace of Serbia, where several dozen activists opposed to the lithium-mining project gathered across the street. They blew whistles and held banners saying, "Serbia is not for sale" and "Ursula, we believe in Europe, but Serbia is not a colony".

"We have a complete violation of European values, the rule of law, democracy, and environmental standards. The EU is effectively betraying Europe itself," said Savo Manojlovic, campaign director of the Go-Change (Kreni-Promeni) movement that opposes the mine.

Von der Leyen arrived in Belgrade from Sarajevo on a four-day tour of the Western Balkans to discuss the European Union Growth Plan, an effort worth 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion) to double the region's economy over the next decade and accelerate Balkan countries' efforts to join the bloc.

From Serbia, von der Leyen will travel to Kosovo and Montenegro.

--IANS

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