Serbia

The EU has set January 21 as the starting date for membership talks with Serbia.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will today officially present to the Council of Ministers her report on Serbia’s implementation of the Brussels agreement.

The governments of Serbia and the Serb entity in Bosnia, the Serb Republic (RS), will on Monday hold their fifth joint session in Banja Luka, RS.

Serbian and Montenegrin Prime Ministers met on Tuesday in Belgrade. The two officials said that relations between the two countries are constantly improving.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic will pay an official visit to Sofia on Wednesday. He is set to have a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Plamen Oresharski. 

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović will be on Monday on his first official visit to Serbia since 2003. He will be received by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, Prime Minister Dačić, and

Moldovan Defense Minister Vitalie Marinuta said on Wednesday in Belgrade that his country will not recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule says the EC is already prepared for accession talks with Serbia, adding that they would start in January at the latest.

Bulgaria’s government has once again expressed its support for Kosovo’s efforts to join a number of international organizations, including the EU and UN.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Philip Breedlove says KFOR at this point did not plan to reduce the number of its troops from Kosovo. NATO is committed to supporting the agreement between Belgrade