The European Unions's General Affairs Council, which comprises ministers of foreign affairs or European affairs of the member states, recommended to the European Council on Tuesday to approve the granting of EU membership candidate status to Serbia at its summit later this week.
"I am pleased we were able to recommend candidate status for Serbia," the Danish Minister of European Affairs, Nicolai Wammen, said after the meeting.
The Council recommends that Serbia be granted candidate status and expects approval of that decision at the March meeting of the European Council, the General Affairs Council said in its conclusions.
The Council took note of the European Commission's intention to start preparing a feasibility study about the possibility of opening negotiations with Kosovo on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement without prejudice to the position of member states on the status of Kosovo. This wording was used because five EU members have still not recognised Kosovo as an independent state.
The discussion on Serbia came to an unexpected standstill after Romania raised the question of the Vlach minority in Serbia. Romania wants about 40,000 Vlachs, who mainly live in the Timocka Krajina region of eastern Serbia, to declare themselves as Romanians and their language to be recognised as Romanian.
Serbian President Boris Tadic, who had arrived in Brussels in anticipation of a positive decision on the Serbian application, said that it was a human rights issue and that anyone in Serbia could declare themselves as they pleased.
About 30,000 ethnic Romanians live in the Banat region of northern Serbia, while some of the 40,000 Vlachs in the Timocka Krajina region see themselves as Romanians and some as Serbs.
Well-informed diplomatic sources said that Bucharest's move could be interpreted as an attempt to secure Romania's entry into the Schengen free-travel area, which is opposed by the Netherlands despite the European Commission's assessment that Bulgaria and Romania meet the required criteria.
It was not clear from the Council conclusions whether EU leaders would only approve the ministerial recommendation or would discuss it first.
"My reading of the conclusions is clear. Serbia gets candidate status," the Finnish Minister of European Affairs, Alexander Stubb, said on Twitter.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt congratulated Serbia on obtaining candidate status. "Green light for Serbia candidacy status today to be confirmed by European Council on Thursday. Congratulations!" he said on Twitter.
