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.

With her recent visit to Belgrade, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing Serbia to decide whether its future is integration with Europe or further political isolation in a Westernizing Balkans region....

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