Serbia readies EU membership application[fr] 

Tadić said on Monday that there is a possibility that Serbia will submit its EU membership application by the end of the year. 

"Currently, we are deliberating very carefully what the right date would be to officially apply for candidacy, and it will probably happen by the end of the year," Tadić told Italian agency Ansa. 

'Magic sentence'

According to the Serbian press, moderate optimism reigns in Belgrade ahead of a crucial visit by ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who will spend Wednesday and Thursday in the Serbian capital. A 'magic sentence' is expected from Brammertz, allowing The Hague to lift its veto over ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). This would pave the way for Belgrade to submit its EU membership bid, despite the fact that two high-profile war criminals, Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić, are still at large. 

The Serbian authorities will provide information on efforts made to capture the fugitives and are capable of convincing the ICTY chief prosecutor of the country's goodwill, the Belgrade press reports. 

An official from the ruling coalition, Dragoljub Mićunović, is quoted as saying that the Dutch also feel the need to break the deadlock and find a solution. 

"Holland does not want to be seen as our enemy and does not want to have us look at them as this vengeful, xenophobic people. They are also looking for a way out of the current situation. There are reservations regarding EU enlargement in some Dutch parties, so Mladić could be used as an alibi for them," Mićunović stated, as quoted by the daily Blic. 

In the meantime, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said that Serbia's application for EU accession was not on the bloc's agenda.