EU loses clout over Serbia

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was given a warm welcome to Kosovo by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi on Monday. The country appreciates her firm rejection of EU accession status for Serbia. But the EU has lost an important means for resolving the conflict between the neighbouring countries, writes the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Hopes for accession status and a start date for entry negotiations were high in Serbia this summer after the arrest of the two last alleged war criminals still at large. ... But denying Belgrade the status of accession candidate is inconsistent. For years word was that when Serbia fulfilled its obligations to the War Criminals Tribunal the status of accession candidate would be a mere formality. Honouring this unofficial assent would not have meant losing the ability to put pressure on Serbia. On the contrary, the EU could have raised pressure on Belgrade very effectively by saying that Serbia must recognise Kosovo for accession negotiations to begin, and that it must stop blocking the country in regional committees."

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