EU summit - Serbia
Decision on candidate status justifiably dependent on solution for northern Kosovo
Commenting on the decision at the EU summit to postpone any decision on granting EU candidate status to Serbia to next spring, Green foreign affairs spokesperson Franziska Brantner said:
“Despite the considerable progress made by Serbia over the past year, now is not the right time to grant Serbia candidate status, against the backdrop of heightened tensions in northern Kosovo. The Serbian government must proactively engage in ensuring a peaceful solution to the situation in northern Kosovo and ending the blockades before any further decision on its progress can be taken. A government cannot credibly come knocking on the EU door at the same time as it is effectively tolerating armed attacks on European security forces. Hopefully, this situation will be quickly and peacefully resolved, as the internal reforms and progress in arresting war criminals by Serbia, mean it is otherwise ready for candidate status and progressing towards its EU destiny."
