Netherlands drops opposition against EU deal with Serbia

The Netherlands no longer stands in the way of closer ties between the European Union and Serbia.

EU foreign ministers said on Monday they would no longer block a trade deal with Serbia after the Netherlands dropped its opposition to such a deal.

Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen blocked the trade deal for 18 months because the Netherlands felt Serbia had not done enough to cooperate with the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

The move follows the publication of a new report on Serbia's cooperation by the tribunal's chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz. Brammertz said there has been constant improvement in the cooperation with Serbia, even if the main issue, the arrest of former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, is still unresolved.

The decision brings Serbia one step closer to being allowed to apply for membership of the European Union.

Other EU countries wanted to ratify the treaty immediately, but Verhagen managed to persuade them to wait just a bit longer. He said it would put pressure on Serbia a few more months to fully cooperate with the tribunal.

"In June we will re-evaluate if we can to ratify the agreement", Verhagen told the Dutch press agency ANP. A minimum requirement, said Verhagen, "is that the prosecutor says the Serbian government is doing everything it can to track down the two remaining fugitive war criminals, among them general Ratko Mladic."