European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said during his official visit to Belgrade on Friday that the agreement between Serbia and the EU regarding the resolution on Kosovo adopted in the United Nations earlier this month had provided fresh impetus to Serbia's relations with the EU.
In his meetings with senior Serbian officials, Fuele said it was time to seriously consider Serbia's application for EU membership, expressing hope that Belgrade's application for membership candidate status would soon be forwarded to the European Commission.
Addressing a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Fuele said that the EU was aware that Serbia had made considerable effort to achieve EU standards and to implement reforms, adding that the European Commission would continue providing the necessary assistance to Serbia on its path to EU membership. He said that Serbia's integration with the EU would depend on its meeting the required criteria, stressing that there would be no shortcuts.
Speaking of Serbia's role in the region, Fuele expressed confidence that in the future there would be pragmatic regional cooperation involving all neighbouring countries, including Kosovo.
Tadic said that Serbia would continue dialogue with all EU institutions and 27 member states. He expressed hope that Belgrade would start membership talks by the end of next year or in early 2012.
Tadic said he was pleased with the agreement on the Kosovo resolution, which paved the way for dialogue with Pristina. He added that he believed it would be possible to negotiate a stable and viable solution based on respect for the legitimate national interests of the Albanian people and the legitimate national interests of the Serbian people and the State of Serbia.
Serbia submitted its application for EU candidate status in late 2009.
