Serbia 'Must Recognise Kosovo' Before EU Entry

"Serbia must recognise Kosovo. I hope this will happen soon, which would make the situation easier both for Kosovo and the EU," the Austrian politician told Radio Deutsche Welle.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence three years ago. Since then, the United States and 22 out of 27 EU member countries have recognised the former Serbian province, but Belgrade, supported by Russia, has firmly rejected the move and several powerful countries, including China, have not recognised it.

Lunacek went on to warn that in the future "countries that do not recognise other countries" will not be allowed to join the EU, because the EU "learned its lesson after Cyprus".

"Serbia is hoping to be granted candidate status in December this year. This remains to be seen, because Serbia must also fulfill some other conditions, such as full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal," said Lunacek.

Everyone at the European Parliament, she continued, had criticised Serbia for the fact that Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic have not been arrested.

"It is not enough to simply say, 'we're working on it', they must be arrested before further steps toward integration are made," she said.

The rapporteur added that she supported calls for a "clean hands" government to be formed in Pristina.

"That means it must not include people being investigated on suspicion of crime and corruption."

Lunacek also commented on the Kosovo organ trafficking report submitted by CoE investigator and Swiss senator Dick Marty, explaining that she believed Marty and his associates "should give their evidence to EULEX".