Serbia on Tuesday officially submitted its European Union membership application to the Swedish EU presidency in Stockholm. Serb President Boris Tadic handed over the application to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in a brief ceremony at the prime minister's office. The two were to hold a press conference shortly afterwards.
The largest republic of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, still scarred by the wars of the 1990s, faces a long and bumpy road ahead to join the club. The entry date is expected some time between 2014 and 2018. Support for Belgrade's bid is mixed at best, according to a European diplomat, with backing from Greece and Italy but several key members - including Britain and the Netherlands - are more reserved. Among the obstacles to Belgrade's EU bid are the issue of Kosovo's status and Serb authorities' failure to track down the Bosnian Serb wartime military chief Ratko Mladic.