EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy (R) welcomes Serbian President Boris Tadic (L) on February 28, 2012 prior to a working session at the EU Headquarters in Brussels.
European Union leaders have granted Serbia official candidate status, a move that puts the Balkan state on the long road to join the 27-nation bloc.
"European Council grants Serbia EU candidate status," European Council president Herman Van said on Thursday.
Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society Institute in Brussels, hailed the decision, saying, "This [decision] is very important. Serbia is the biggest country in the Balkans and if it is moving forward, it will bring other countries in with it."
"If they can't be part of the EU, the risk is ongoing stagnation," Grabbe added.
The leaders’ decision to give Belgrade EU candidate status was made partly in recognition of its progress in apprehending accused war criminals and mending ties with Kosovo.
Last year, Serbia arrested Balkans war crime suspects Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic after they had been on the run for almost two decades.
Belgrade also strengthened its chances of winning entry into the bloc by striking a deal with the partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo last month that would give Pristina more authority to represent itself in official regional meetings and organizations in its own right.
Better relations between Serbia and Kosovo were considered as a precondition for progress by Belgrade towards EU membership.
During a visit to Brussels on February 27, Serbian President Boris Tadic said his country was "deserving" of the candidate status because Serbia was "doing everything that is possible...[to join EU]” despite many challenges.
The EU's measure clears the way for Serbia to open accession negotiations with the EU-a process that could take years and will require Belgrade to conform to a host of EU standards.
Winning candidate status will likely be a boost to pro-European President Tadic and his center-left allies in the parliamentary elections due to be held by May.
Opposition leaders, however, say joining the EU would be catastrophic for Serbia and argue that closer ties with Russia are more likely to advance the country's interests.
Serbia launched its bid to join EU in 2009.
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