BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union foreign ministers will decide Tuesday whether Serbia should become a candidate for membership in the bloc after it reached a key agreement with its former province of Kosovo.
Several participants said the bloc was likely to approve the move at the ministerial meeting. EU heads of state will have to sign off on the deal later this week.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she hoped Serbia would be granted candidacy as she arrived for the talks. German Foreign German Guido Westerwelle said that he supported "a green light for Serbia's candidacy," while his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt said he expected "a positive outcome" for Belgrade.
But an official who could not be named under EU rules, said some countries, including Cyprus, Romania and Spain, remained opposed to a provision in last week's accord between Serbia and Kosovo. This would allow the EU to launch a feasibility study for a pre-membership agreement for Kosovo -- the first step in the new nation's path toward eventual integration in the 27-nation bloc.
The three nations are among five EU member states which have refused to recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.
Kosovo has been recognized by nearly 90 nations, including the United States and major Western powers. But it has not yet become a member of the United Nations because many countries reject its unilateral declaration of independence.
Serbia had been widely expected to be made a formal EU candidate in December, after it captured two top war crimes suspects. But ministers delayed the decision saying they wanted to see more progress in talks between Serbia and Kosovo in the meantime.
Candidate status is politically important for Serbia's pro-EU President Boris Tadic ahead of upcoming elections in the country. Serbia also receives about 190 million euros annually from the EU in pre-membership funds.
