National pride more important than the EU

Belgrade correspondent Hélène Despic-Popovic analyses current relations between Serbia and the EU. "The crisis that ... broke out after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence showed that many Serbs do not want to sacrifice their national pride to join the EU. Pragmatists like Democratic President Boris Tadic maintain by contrast that Serbia 'must not remain isolated'. ... Nevertheless, Serbia cannot join a club whose members recognised the Kosovar Albanian majority's declaration of independence against its wishes. ... The Serbs took offence at the quick accession of Bulgaria and Romania, two countries which lay far behind the rest of Europe twenty years ago. Many believe the democratic governments rewarded them insufficiently for Milošević's fall, and feel they are not treated on equal terms with Croatia, which could join in 2010."

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