Eduard Kukan, a Member of the European Parliament and in charge of its relations with Serbia, said today the French President’s statement that it was not a good time for the European Union’s enlargement was only one of the suggestions in talks about the bloc's future.

Kukan told Belgrade-based daily Vecernje novosti President Emmanuel Macron’s opinion that there should not be any European Union enlargement until the block reformed itself was not shared by everyone within the Union.

President of Serbia talks to EL PAÍS about the Balkan country’s efforts to join the bloc, and how Kosovo is proving a sticking point

The existential journey that has taken Aleksandar Vučić to this point has been a long one. As a young man, the current president of Serbia was an ultra-nationalist of passionate rhetoric, and later he served as information minister under the dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Since then, Vučić has morphed into a fervent supporter of the European Union, and his mission now is to achieve membership for his country.

Concerns over rule of law and corruption, plus enlargement fatigue, meant the six countries got little from Sofia summit

Keep waiting in line, but don’t expect the door to open any time soon. That was the message delivered on Thursday to six Balkan states hoping to join the EU.

President Aleksandar Vucic has said in Sofia that he hopes a solution will be reached for Kosovo and Metohija that will be acceptable to citizens of Serbia.

As he said, he will do his best and fight to make it happen.

"I want to believe that Serbia will have enough strength in the upcoming period, if there is a willingness to compromise on the other side, to come up with a solution that will be acceptable to its citizens, as far as Kosovo and Metohija is concerned."

In any case, we will do our best and we will fight for that, Vucic told reporters.

At summit with regional leaders, French president says thoughts of enlargement have ‘weakened Europe.’

SOFIA — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sounded a skeptical note on enlarging the European Union to include countries from the western Balkans — at a summit meant to strengthen ties between the region and the EU.

The European Union today welcomed the commitment of the Western Balkans to shared European values, including democracy and the rule of law and reaffirmed its unequivocal support for the region’s European perspective.

The western international community should think about division of Kosovo as least bad solution, treating it as a unique case, Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies (CEAS) Director, Jelena Milic said, Serbian media reported.

Milic told Tanjug news agency if the West is that much afraid of Russian influence, then unresolved Belgrade-Pristina issue “is one of the great channels of influence Russia could use.”

She also added, she expected that once Serbia signed Brussels agreement, EU and NATO members state that have not recognized Kosovo, would do so, however it did not happen.

Agreement on Serbia’s accession to the European Union by 2025 could be reached, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani is quoted as saying on Thursday at the EU – Western Balkans Summit in Sofia.

A press release from the Serbian president’s cabinet said that Tajani told President Aleksandar Vucic that the date set for possible accession in the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans is possible.

“I am optimistic about your membership,” Tajani is quoted as saying.

Leader of Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Milos Jovanovic told BETA news agency, Serbian Government has rejected a proposal in 2007 similar to that of a legally binding agreement that is being offered to Aleksandar Vucic now.

Jovanovic assessed if Vucic does what he says he would do then it would be an “act of a high treason.”

“It looks like if one man is Messiah or given by God to resolve that issue. We must not give legal cover up to secession, but to re-affirm international law,” DSS leader said.

EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia is a signal and a message there is a perspective for the Western Balkans, Centre of Foreign Policy Director Aleksandra Joksimovic told RTS.

Speaking for the RTS news edition, Joksimovic said the EU went through number of crisis and was focused on its internal affairs. She added a period of EU consolidation is expected, however, the EU realized it has to bring its focus back to the Western Balkans region.