Kosovo EU progress depends on deal with Serbia: Fuele

(PRISTINA) - Kosovo's EU integration process would gain new momentum if Pristina reaches a deal Wednesday with Serbia on normalisation of relations between the two countries, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said.

"A possible deal with Belgrade tomorrow and its implementation on the ground should pave the way for a positive June conclusion about the negotiations on a stabilisation and association agreement," Fuele told reporters here.

Serbia hopes to be given a date to start EU accession talks at a summit in June, while European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has said Kosovo could get an agreement on an association accord at the same time.

A stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) is a first step on the long road towards European Union membership for any country that wants to join the 27-state bloc.

After meeting top officials here, Fuele said the ongoing phase of EU-mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade "is a crucial time for the Kosovo-Serbian future."

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci were to meet on Wednesday in Brussels in a bid to find a solution for 40,000-strong Serb minority which refuses to recognise Pristina's authority in the north.

Both sides have agreed to establish an association of the Serb municipalities but lack agreement on its powers. Pristina refuses to grant it the executive and judicial power demanded by Belgrade.

The dialogue, aimed at easing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia and solving day-to-day problems, was launched in March 2011.

Concrete progress in the talks has been set by Brussels as the key condition to both sides to move on towards EU membership.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The move was recognised by around 100 countries, including the United States and most of EU member states, but fiercly rejected by Belgrade and Serb minority there.

Fuele also urged Pristina to press upon continuing reforms regarding the rule of law, fight against the crime and corruption, electoral reform and economic development.