Decision on Serbia's EU bid delayed until February

(BRUSSELS) - A European Union decision on whether to grant Serbia candidate status, a long-awaited step that will impact the country's political scene, will be delayed to February, EU president Herman Van Rompuy said Friday.

Belgrade had long pinned its hopes on winning EU candidacy at this week's summit and the postponement is likely to cause sharp disappointment to President Boris Tadic as he gears up for elections next spring.

In Belgrade, Tadic said: "Serbia cannot and will not give up on its European future.

"Any other decision would have long-term consequences for the citizens of Serbia. We belong to Europe," he said following the decision in Brussels.

But the EU delivered the disappointing news with a positive spin.

"Serbia has made considerable progress," Van Rompuy said, hailing "bold steps" in bringing Europe's most wanted war criminals to justice, as well as "first results" in efforts to improve relations with Kosovo through EU-mediated talks.

"We encourage Serbia to build on that dialogue and to improve relations with Pristina for the sake of regional stability and Serbia's own interest," he told a news conference.

Tadic has worked hard to fulfill Serbia's long-held dream of European membership and won kudos from the EU earlier this year when the country finally delivered longtime wanted war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.

In March, Serbia also agreed to EU-mediated talks with Kosovo, their first tete-a-tete since Pristina broke away three years ago.

Van Rompuy said the EU would continue to assess the situation "with the clear aim to grant Serbia the status of candidate country" at foreign ministers' talks in February.

The decision would then be confirmed by EU leaders at a March summit.

Serbia had appeared a shoo-in to win candidacy until a new surge of unrest on the tense north Kosovo border during the summer interrupted talks with Pristina.

When fresh violence broke out late last month, injuring some 50 NATO peacekeepers and scores of civilians, a handful of EU nations, notably Germany, demanded further progress.

The peacekeepers, including Austrians and Germans, were hurt when trying to dismantle barricades put up by members of northern Kosovo's majority ethnic Serbs who refuse to recognise border guards and customs officials sent by the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade still considers the territory to be a Serbian province.

A statement issued by EU leaders at a summit Friday urged Serbia to make further progress in implementing agreements reached so far at the eight-month talks with Kosovo.

It notably calls for implementation of a deal between the two to jointly manage border crossings under the supervision of EU officials.

It also called for a deal to allow Kosovo to take part in regional bodies.

In Belgrade, analysts have said Tadic and his allies are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Political commentator Ljiljana Smajlovic has said voters could punish Tadic if he fails to achieve EU candidacy for Belgrade but could also throw him out should he move too far too fast towards the recognition of Kosovo.

"If he gets (candidacy) at the cost of losing northern Kosovo, his victory could prove catastrophic," she said.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL 9 DECEMBER 2011 - CONCLUSIONS