For a long time the US supports stronger and bigger EU, thus, support for Serbian path to the EU is something most natural, said Daniel Server, professor and expert for Balkans from the Washington-based John Hopkins Institute

According to Server, the biggest challenge from Washington’s angle for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is finding an adequate formula for creation of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities (A/CSM) in Kosovo.

When asked whether there are any pressure from the US on Serbia when it comes to creation of the A/CSM Server said to Radio Free Europe that ‘pressure’ is not the right word.

“First of all it is about reaching the right formula: reaching the balance of interests of Pristina, which doesn’t want community to be the basis for setting up a sort of new Republic of Srpska that would in fact be out of control of central authorities, and interests of Serbs to manage themselves in many areas of their local communities, but within the constitutional framework of Kosovo,” stressed Server, and added that in the same time Pristina has other priorities, such as creation of the special court for Kosovo Liberation Army war crimes.

He also assessed that it is about expected problems in the course of implementation, and that Washington will for sure exert some pressure on Pristina and Belgrade in order to accelerate all of it.

Server further voiced hope that EU will open the first negotiation chapter with Serbia this year, and added that nothing can replace Serbia’s commitments in terms for technical qualification for the EU membership, Serbia simply has to pass all way down through 35 chapters.

He went on to say that along with Serbia, the US also wants to see Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina moving toward the EU, “since we are all aware that when Balkan’s bike is not moving forward, it usually falls down,” concluded Server.