(BRUSSELS) - Seventeen European states stepped up efforts on Tuesday to give a new boost to Serbia's pro-EU parties ahead of elections this week by making visas free for visitors from the Balkan state.

Going beyond simply offering support to Serbia on its long path towards the EU, the countries said they were answering an appeal from the European Commission to back "Serbia's European vocation" with concrete action on visas.

"We have decided... to grant free visas to all individuals who seek them for whom a possibility exists," the 17 states said in a statement released by French foreign ministry.

The move came five days ahead of a general election considered to be the most crucial since late autocratic president Slobodan Milosevic was defeated at the ballot box eight years ago.

The May 11 elections pits a pro-European camp against ultra-nationalists buoyed by anger over Western support for Kosovo's breakaway and seeking close ties with Serbia's traditional ally of Russia.

With the latest opinion polls predicting no clear winner, the final phase of the hard-fought campaign has been characterised by harsh rhetoric reminiscent of the 1990s Milosevic regime.

The 17 European countries, mostly by EU members but also by non-member Norway, said that the new measures would likely mean that 80 percent of visitors from Serbia would get free visas.

"We're giving a concrete signal about Serbia's European perspective directly to the population. It will have an impact in their daily lives," a European diplomat said.

The EU already has eased visa restrictions for Serbia, making them since the start of the year cheaper and easier to obtain for students, athletes, journalists, people visiting family or working with companies in the bloc.

European leaders have said openly that they intend to support Serbia's pro-Europe forces in a country seen as a future EU member.

At the end of last month, the EU signed a pact on closer ties with Serbia, setting aside disputes over Kosovo's independence and Belgrade's failure to catch war criminals.

The agreement, known as a Stabilisation and Association Accord, marks a first step towards EU membership.

However, the signing of the agreement was mostly symbolic because it has no practical implications as long has Belgrade is deemed not to be fully cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

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