Italian FM: Serbia should get candidate status

Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini believes Serbia should get the EU candidate status and a date for the start of accession negotiations by year’s end.

He said that Italy was one of the countries that strongly supported the EU integration of the Western Balkans and Serbia. 

When it comes to the start date for the accession negotiations, Frattini believes it should be set after the European Commission (EC) delivers its report in October.

Frattini noted that during the last foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, he suggested sending a signal to Serbia regarding a continuation of its integration.