Brussels, 13/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Further to a Commission recommendation to grant candidate status to Serbia, Hungary has pointed out that its own position has not changed regarding the possibility of voting against this, unless Belgrade changes its law on restitution. Budapest states its position remains unchanged. It expects Serbia to resolve the problem by early December at the latest as it is only in that way that the European Council can adopt a unanimous decision for granting candidate status. Budapest explains that the law on restitution adopted on 26 September is based on the obsolete notion of collective punishment and is therefore discriminatory, against Hungary's values and in breach of the Copenhagen criteria on accession. It takes the view that the law excludes from restitution soldiers, and their heirs, who served in occupied Serbia during the Second World War, independently of whether they were individually responsible, or not, for having committed atrocities. Budapest has also underlined that the Commission's opinion, which calls for supplementary measures to ensure full legal clarity, is a good base for further negotiation. (CG/transl.jl)