20/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - 17 December decisions approved. On 20 December, the European Council welcomed and approved the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs Council on 17 December on enlargement and the stabilisation and association process (see EUROPE 10987). The heads of state and government thus decided to postpone the decision on granting candidate status to Albania until June 2014, on the basis of a report presented by the Commission. They also confirmed the opening of accession negotiations with Serbia, with the first intergovernmental conference, in January. “We reaffirmed that the accession negotiations will begin on 21 January 2014”, said Van Rompuy. The Council again postponed the decision on opening accession negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and will return to this issue in 2014, on the basis of an update by the Commission. (CG/transl.fl)