"EU membership not linked to recognition of Kosovo"
Serbian President Boris Tadic said that he had been assured that Serbia's EU integration is not conditional upon the recognition of Kosovo.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, May 20, 2011
Tadic made the announcement after meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso who is on an official two-day visit to the Western Balkans.
At a joint news conference with Barroso, Tadic stated that Serbia's "core" political goal, for which there was "no alternative," remained EU membership.
Tadic said that he and Barroso concurred that the Copenhagen Criteria, which defines the responsibilities of potential candidates to the EU, is explicit in its intent.
"There are no requirements that a country on the path toward the EU has to recognize the independence of another state or part of its territory - and Serbia holds to this," said Tadic.
Although the recognition of Kosovo's independence was not a pre-condition for Serbia's accession process, Barroso did say this issue would be taken into account when preparing the European Commission opinion on Serbia's candidacy. Regional cooperation was cited as an essential part of the EU's Stabilization and Association Process.
Tadic said Serbia was aware that the EU was seeking a resolution to the protracted dispute with respect to Kosovo and that Serbia was prepared to resolve the issue, short of recognizing its independence.
