Serbia to file for EU membership application by the end of the year

Brussels - Serbia plans to file for European Union membership by the end of this year, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said in Brussels on Thursday. "The basic groundwork has been layed out for Serbia to submit its application for membership to the European Union, and we have a strong intention to do it before the end of this year," Jeremic told reporters after a meeting with the bloc's enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn.

"This is about our strategic outlook (...) not only for Serbia, but for all Balkan nations," Jeremic said.

Rehn in turn praised Serbia's "considerable progress over the past 12 months" and the government's concerted efforts "in driving legal, democratic and economic reforms further.

"The European spirit is gaining hearts and minds in Serbian society. Challenges remain of course, but none of them are insurmountable for Serbia if the political will is there," Rehn said.

However, the commissioner declined to specify whether he agreed with Serbia's intention of applying for EU membership so soon.

"I respect the sovereignty of the Serbian Republic as regards such important decisions as submitting a membership application," Rehn told reporters.

The European Commission's annual enlargement report, published last month, said Serbia had made good progress and that its cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) had improved.

Earlier this week, the head of Serbia's National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal said Serbia was doing everything it could to find and arrest the Balkans' top war crimes suspect, Ratko Mladic, who is wanted by the ICTY.

The fact that Mladic is still at large is seen in Brussels as a major obstacle to Serbia's European aspirations.

The commission's report also noted that strained relations with Kosovo, a former Serbian province, also posed a problem.

Serbian citizens are expected to be able to travel to the EU without a visa as of January 1.