Brussels, 16/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Belgian EU Presidency hopes another stage will be completed over coming months in Serbia's European integration process but refuses to set a specific goal. “As president of the General Affairs Council, I intend to reach consensus among the 27 member states on the subject of the new stages that have to be crossed in bringing Serbia closer to the EU”, the Belgian foreign minister, Steven Vanackere, said after a meeting with his Serb counterpart, Vuc Jeremic, on 15 July. Serbia called for its accession in December 2009. The following stage would normally be for the Council to invite the Commission to prepare its opinion but the Belgian presidency remains cautious. “There is nothing automatic about it. The decision to take Serbia forward will be taken on the basis of different elements such as the annual Commission report (due in October), cooperation with the ICTY and the way Belgrade reacts to the opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo”, to be published on 22 July, sources close to the Belgian presidency explain. Vanackere also trusts everyone will react in a “mature and controlled” fashion to this opinion. (H.B./transl.jl)