Serbia's parliament elected a new government on 12 May 2007. Vojislav Kostunica is to remain prime minister under the new government coalition between three liberal and pro-European parties, Kostunica's Serbian Democratic Party (DSS), President Tadic's Democratic Party and the G17 Party.
Ultra-nationalist Tomislav Nikolic has announced his withdrawal from the post of parliament president on 13 May 2007. His Radical Party (SRS) had won the most seats in the parliament in the January elections, but failed to form a government.
EU leaders welcomed the development. On 11 May 2007, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn announced that if a reform- and Europe-oriented government was formed: "Serbia's path to the EU will be revitalised immediately."
He further offered to sign visa-facilitation and re-admission agreements, as well as resuming talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) as a first step towards becoming an EU membership candidate. The EU had suspended the talks in 2006, due to a lack of co-operation from Serbia with the war-crimes tribunal.
Rehn added: "I trust that the leaders of Serbia's democratic forces now realise their responsibility and choose a European future for Serbia, instead of letting the country fall back to its nationalist past."
EU Foreign Policy Envoy Javier Solana said: "It is now up to Serbia to make the vision of its European future a practical reality. The EU will fully support Serbia in this endeavour."
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is discussing a draft resolution, which foresees independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo. The text supported by the EU and the US takes up the main proposals of the Ahtisaari plan. It seeks a constitution for Kosovo within 90 days and general elections within nine months.
The plan was hailed by ethnic Albanians, but Serbia, supported by Russia, remains opposed to an independent Kosovo.
