France Says EU States To Award Serbia Candidacy

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says the European Union is set to give Serbia candidate status this week.

Juppe said on February 27 that no "objections" had been raised at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels.

Serbia last week resolved some longstanding differences with Kosovo on regional cooperation and border management.

Juppe said formal approval would come from EU foreign ministers on February 28 and at a summit of EU leaders on March 1 and March 2.

Better relations between Belgrade and ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina -- who unilaterally declared Kosovo's independence from Serbia in 2008 -- are considered a precondition for progress by Belgrade toward EU membership.

Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AFP