ASSESSMENTS
Germany's Message to the Balkans on EU Membership
Aug 24, 2011 | 16:07 GMT
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images
Summary
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a message to Serbia during an Aug. 23 news conference in Belgrade, tying Serbia's EU candidacy status to a resolution on Kosovo. Kosovo is a contentious issue in Serbia, and with close parliamentary elections set for 2012, the incumbent pro-EU administration in Belgrade has little room to maneuver on the matter. At the same time, the increasing Westernization of the Balkans has diminished the urgency of integrating Serbia into the European Union, meaning Belgrade's path to membership — should it choose that route — will not be an easy one.
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