Brussels, 21/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 22 December, Serbia will formally submit its request for EU accession. The Serbian president, Boris Tadiæ, will travel to Stockholm where he will transmit his country's accession candidacy to the outgoing president of the European Council, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Following Albania in April and Iceland in July, Serbia will be the third country to take this important step in 2009. In December 2008, Montenegro had already introduced its candidacy. The European Commission is currently preparing an “opinion” on these three candidacies. The Council is expected to examine the Serbian candidacy during the Spanish Presidency in the first half of 2010 and call on the Commission to prepare its opinion. (H.B./transl.fl)