Serbia's EU integration not linked to recognition of Kosovo

Serbian President Boris Tadic has said that he had been assured that Serbia's EU integration is not conditional upon the recognition of Kosovo. Tadic made the announcement after meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who is on an official two-day visit to the Western Balkans. At a joint news conference with Barroso, Tadic stated that Serbia's "core" political goal, for which there was "no alternative," remained EU membership. Tadic said that he and Barroso concurred that the Copenhagen Criteria, which defines the responsibilities of potential candidates to the EU, is explicit in its intent. "There are no requirements that a country on the path toward the EU has to recognize the independence of another state or part of its territory - and Serbia holds to this," said Tadic. The majority ethnic-Albanian province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although it has been recognized by leading EU countries, the EU itself has not officially recognized Kosovo due to a lack of unanimity among its member states. Serbia, for its part, contends that Kosovo is its southern province and an integral part of its sovereign territory.