Kosovo, Serbia, and the EU

On the eve of the one year anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, Serbia’s president, Boris Tadi, has delineated his country’s position on the new republic to the European Union (which Kosovo wants to join). While Serbia recognizes Kosovo’s right to participate in global financial markets, Tadi says Serbia will never recognize its autonomy.

“Serbia will not prevent commerce between people of Kosovo and the rest of the region, nor does Serbia want to stop the process of Kosovo’s accession to some international financial bodies,” Tadic said after a meeting with Olli Rehn, the European Union’s Enlargement Commissioner.

“Serbia is seeking a realistic solution to the Kosovo issue, but is not ready to relinquish its territorial integrity. That is what I call a constructive approach,” Tadic said.

In related news, Joerg Himmelreich, a senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, thinks it’s only a matter of time before Greece and Spain–two European countries dealing with their own issues of breakaway territories–recognize Kosovo’s independence.