Jose Manuel Borroso, the European Union president hopes to rope in Serbia and the western Balkans to be part of EU with the victory of the pro-European president-elect Boris Tadic. The re-elected leader has also shown keen interest in signing the co-operation agreement with the EU. Tadic’s Democratic Party is supported by Vojislav Kostunica’s party with the nationalist-leanings in a fragile coalition set up. A decision is awaited from Kostunica regarding his extension of support for the co-operation agreement with the EU.
The Serbs’ vote in favor of pro-European candidacy than a pro-Russian one is encouraging the EU to expedite the work on including them in their fold. In fact, Tadic initiated to send a delegation to Brussels to ink a symbolic agreement with the EU. The EU’s clamor for immediate independence of the disputed territory of the Kosovo is forcing Kostunica to block the trip. Although Tadic ran the election with the promise of integrating with the EU but he too is opposed to the idea of the independence of Kosovo.
The intransigent move by the EU to provide financial and legal requisites in the form of 1800 policemen, judges, prosecutors and customs officials have invited the ire of Russia. Russia stands by the argument that any change in the status quo of Kosovo should require a UN mandate. Serbs are backed by Russia to avoid a possible dissection of their country.
But Kosovo’s call for independence is supported by France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Tadic hopes the symbolic co-operation accord would materialize; therefore his government can work on re-drawing the original agreement keeping in mind the inequities of the preliminary one.