EUROPE HALTS SERBIA
Merkel: EU will accept Croatia and no one else
GERMAN CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel has greatly disappointed the Serbian leaders by convincing other EU members that the Union should end its expansion to the east after Croatia's accession
FIRM DECISION Angela Merkel decided back in March 2009 that the EU should not take in any more members after Croatia, and she has proven to stand strong in that decision to this dayFIRM DECISION Angela Merkel decided back in March 2009 that the EU should not take in any more members after Croatia, and she has proven to stand strong in that decision to this dayGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has put forth a resolute stance in the European Union on the issue of EU enlargement: Croatia will be accepted, and no one else after it. All countries inspiring to membership have discretely been informed of this stance through diplomatic channels. This decision has aroused panic in the Serbian political circles, as it counters the policies recently enforced by President Boris Tadic, together with Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Government Vice-president Bozidar Djelic, in which they have falsely convinced the Serbian public that Serbia will enter into the EU in record time.
COREPER Last Friday, the Council of Europe decided that Croatia would be permitted to open the final three negotiation chapters for EU accession, but the leading institutions of the Union refused to discuss Serbia's request to apply for membership. The general assessment is that this decision by the COREPER body has opened the final door for Croatia, and it is up to Croatia to negotiation on the remaining outstanding chapters in the coming months, if possible by year's end, so as to sign the final agreement in spring 2011 and determine the date of accession. Croatia may still face some difficulties in closing several chapters, especially the one on the judicial system, and some very difficult measures will be expected to be taken in this area. The COREPER decision on Croatia can be interpreted only as an expression of the interests of the EU Member States to finally take the excessively long Croatian negotiations off the agenda, not only for Croatia's sake, but also for the EU itself.
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