French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said on July 16 2008 that it was his “biggest wish” that Serbia get European Union candidate status this year, international and Serbian news agencies reported.

However, after a meeting in Paris between Kouchner and his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic, it was clear that fundamental differences endure between Paris and Belgrade on the question of Kosovo’s February 17 2008 unilateral declaration of independence.

News agency Reuters reported that Kouchner told a joint news conference with Jeremic: “I have always wanted this (Serbian accession to the EU) and I have always known that Serbian people’s interest, culture,…psychological qualities and determination were European”.

Major issues blocking Serbia’s path to EU accession are differences on Kosovo and on Belgrade’s co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia. Also complicating matters is the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, which major EU forces, including France, believe to mean that further expansion of the bloc should be put on hold until the institutional problems of the EU are resolved.

Kouchner appeared to discount the current Lisbon Treaty problem, saying: “Whatever the current difficulties, I think that Serbia one day, and as quickly as possible, [will] join the EU”.

Serbia’s new government, which took office on July 7 2008 with Mirko Cvetkovic as prime minister, is seen as pro-Western, but was quick to reaffirm its rejection of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. On July 16, a special debate in the Serbian parliament was initiated by the government to confirm the continuation of Serbian policy against Kosovo independence.

Jeremic told the July 16 news conference in Paris that there were “very great differences” on the issue of Kosovo in his talks with Kouchner. France was among the first countries to recognise Kosovo as independent.

“Serbia will never recognise that unilateral act (the declaration of Kosovo’s independence) and the new Serbian government will never do this. Kosovo is part of Serbia. That is the point of divergence,” Jeremic said.

According to a report earlier this week in UK newspaper the Guardian, a senior EU official said that there was “absolutely no chance” of Serbia becoming an EU member unless border demarcation issues were resolved.

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in a recent media interview that Serbia’s aim of getting EU member state candidate status by the end of this year or early 2009 was “very ambitious”. He said that Serbia would have to co-operate fully with the UN war crime tribunal.