Brussels, 27/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Union will, indeed, grant candidate status to Serbia, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé announced on Monday 27 February. “Agreement was reached today on Serbia's being granted candidate status to the EU”, he said on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council. The formal decision on Serbia will be taken by the General Affairs Council on Tuesday 28 February. “We have been persuaded for some time that we had to move forward and grant Serbia candidate status. That is what has been done”, Juppé said. “This will encourage Belgrade to make progress in coming into line with the EU”, he added, stating that the country still had much to do.
Earlier in the day, Juppé's Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt said that Serbia had fulfilled the conditions for candidate status. “The Serbs have done what was asked of them. Everything is on the table”, added Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg. “I believe that the general mood at present is to grant candidate status to Serbia”, said Michael Spindelegger of Austria. (CG/transl.rt)