There are indications that some countries will ask the new chief of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, to appoint a special representative to directly handle the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, reports Belgrade based daily Blic.

The daily finds out that as the main candidate for the post is mentioned Dutch Angelina Eichhorst, who has been working for the EU for two decades.

Dusan Janjic from the Forum for Ethnic Relations says a new format of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is likely to be created to include new players

Among others, it will include Russia.

In a statement given to Belgrade based daily Politika, he said that in addition to US Envoy Matthew Palmer, it is possible that Germany and France would appoint a joint representative, or that each of these countries has a representative.

Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Traffic and Infrastructure Zoran Mihajlovic signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a 100 million worth loan and another one on aid of 40.6 million Euros for the construction of a motorway linking Serbia’s southern city of Nis to Kosovo’s capital Pristina, the Beta news agency reported.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic said the Czech Republic President statement that Prague might reconsider the decision on recognition of Kosovo independence, as well as voices from Brussels and Washington about the need for compromise, showed that Pristina’s status had not been solved yet,  BETA news agency reports on Thursday.

Ljajic also told RTS that one shouldn’t be optimistic that Milos Zeman’s statement would influence other European Union member states, but it showed that in Prague as well as in the EU, there was no consent about the issue.

Head of EU Delegation in Serbia, Sem Fabrizi said the crucial topic for the Western Balkans states during the mandate of a new European Commission (EC) would be structural reforms, Tanjug news agency reports. He added that Western Balkans remains priority for the new EC.

“Portfolio for the Western Balkans remains the same, structure remains the same, and these are the rule of law, economic development, public administration development, fight against corruption, good neighborly relations and resolving regional disputes,” Fabrizi said.

Washington has taken the first step to shake up the European Union which is focused on its own problems and the initiative taken by US envoy Matthew Palmer should motivate the countries of the Balkans to find a solution for their problems, former High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Christian Schwarz-Schilling told Deutsche Welle on Tuesday.

Belgrade based daily Blic writes today that the great American diplomatic return to the Balkans, obviously initiated by the EU’s inability to unravel the Kosovo knot, has sparked nervousness in the EU, and emissaries come to see what can be done after Mogherini's diplomatic collapse.

Serbian citizens do not need visas to travel to 71 countries and holders of diplomatic passports can travel visa-free to 93 countries Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic told the Serbian Parliament on Wednesday, BETA news agency reports.

Dacic was presenting to the Parliament proposal to abolish visas for nationals of number of other countries. He said the visa-free regime was in place for Serbian citizens travelling to all European Union countries except Great Britain and Ireland as well as Russia, China, Brazil, the Ukraine among others.

Outgoing EU High Representative Federica Mogherini urged the EU to maintain a strong presence in the Western Balkans achieving a clear interest of the region's EU accession, Tanjug news agency reports.

In her address at the annual conference of EU Ambassadors in Brussels, she assessed that the accession of the Western Balkans in the EU is an issue of a reintegration of the whole European continent and that it is necessary for the Balkans, as well as the EU.

The traditional Bled Strategic Forum, which begins today in Bled, Slovenia, will be dedicated this year to stability in the region, sustainable development and economic prosperity. Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic represents Serbia.