Serbia's march towards EU membership on hold[fr][de] 

The agreement was ready to be signed on 7 February and would have offered Serbia closer trade relations and easier travel within the EU but had to be delayed, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn announced on Wednesday (6 February).

"I very much regret that we have to postpone the signing of the agreement," Rehn said, expressing his hope that "problems can be sorted out shortly". 

The Commissioner blamed "certain politicians in Belgrade" for ignoring last Sunday's election results, which he said had confirmed the Serbian population's commitment to a European future. 

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislaw Kostunica condemned the planned EU agreement after the EU ministers announced their decision on Monday to send a 1,800 strong police and administration mission to Kosovo to replace the current UN mission.

Kostunica opposes the EU mission, fearing it would be a prelude to Kosovo's independence. He said on Tuesday that the planned signing of an aid-and-trade pre-membership deal with the EU would signify that Serbia had approved the EU mission and the province's independence, which is expected to be declared in the coming weeks. 

"The European Union's offer to sign a political deal with Serbia while sending a mission to Kosovo that splits our country is a hoax," Kostunica said in a statement on Tuesday. He demanded an urgency meeting of the nationalist-dominated Serbian parliament to reject the agreement offered by the EU, but the government, allied with President Tadic, insisted on signing the agreement. 

Serbia's Investment Minister Velimir Ilic, a member of Kostunica's party, warned that the Cabinet would break up if Tadic's ministers signed the agreement.

"If someone wants to enter the EU at any price, and the EU wants to snatch 15% of our territory, I will not sit in that government," Ilic said. 

Despite this backlash, Rehn said the EU remains "committed to accelerating Serbia's European course". "The EU's commitment is firm and the invitation remains on the table," Rehn said, adding: "The EU is ready once Serbia is ready".