Serbia could receive the status of an European Union candidate state in 2009 if it meets all the prerequisites, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso told Serbian president Boris Tadic in Brussels on September 3 2008, website Balkan Insight reported.
Serbia's cabinet, which took office in July, has repeatedly stated it hopes to achieve candidate status by the end of 2008.
Tadic headed a delegation that included prime minister Mirko Cvetkovic, foreign minister Vuk Jeremic and deputy prime minister in charge of European Union integration Bozidar Đelic, on the first-ever visit of top figures of the new Serbian government to EU's headquarters in Brussels. The goal of the Serbian officials was to accelerate Serbia's accession into the bloc, Serbian private broadcaster B92 reported.
“If everything goes according to the plan and if all conditions are met, it would be possible to give candidate status to Serbia in 2009,” Barroso said, as quoted by Balkan Insight, and added the exact terms depended on when Serbia will satisfy the bloc's demands. “This cannot be calendar driven process; instead it should be a reform driven process,” he added.
In addition to Barroso, the Serbian officials were scheduled to meet European commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European Parliament speaker Hans-Gert Poettering.
Serbia experienced a serious internal crisis following Kosovo's declaration of independence in February, which resulted in snap polls and lengthy post-election talks on forming a government. Finally, the pro-European parties outweighed and upon coming to office placed European integration on top of their agenda, though vowing never to let Kosovo go.
Achieving full co-operation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague is the EU's key condition for all future negotiations.
The Serbs have said the tribunal's most wanted fugitive Radovan Karadzic's arrest and extradition to the Netherlands later in July was proof that they would eventually seal the deal, but some EU members still insist on seeing The Hague's remaining two indictees, one of whom Karadzic's close aide and top military commander Ratko Mladic, being brought to justice before considering a more intense dialogue with Serbia.
