EU could resume Serbia talks
The EU could resume suspended talks with Serbia even without the arrest of Ratko Mladic.
On Thursday Brussels said talks could restart if Belgrade proves it is doing its best to catch the war crimes suspect, a precedent was set by Croatia last year.
The European commission suspended Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) talks with Serbia in May.
Talks were halted over failure to deliver Mladic to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
But EU officials are now concerned that it is hard-line Serb nationalists who are reaping the electoral dividends from the stalled talks.
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica is set to present a plan for restarting SAA talks on Monday - in the margins of an EU foreign ministers' meeting.
The condition for restarting the talks had in the past widely been interpreted as meaning delivering Mladic, but officials say the formal requirement was for Serbia to demonstrate "full cooperation" with the UN tribunal.
And if Belgrade is seen to be cooperating, SAA talks could resume as early as September.
In the meantime, officials in Brussels will be hoping Mladic can be transferred to The Hague before possible early Serbian national elections that could be held in November.
The Parliament Magazine
Issue 291 | 22 June 2009The heart of EuropeVladimír Špidla on Employment Week, the commission's social recovery plan and what the EU can do to protect jobs
Regional Review
Issue 13 | June 2009Be preparedMargot Wallström on the financial crisis, Lisbon treaty and what Sweden must do to ensure a successful EU presidency
Research Review
Issue 9 | May 2009It's all in the mindGet the lowdown and all the latest news from two key research conferences featuring the best of EU-funded projects


