The EU opened formal talks on 7 November with Serbia and Montenegro on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
The opening of talks on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is considered a stepping stone towards membership of the Union.
The process was launched in October 2005, and during the first round of the negotiations in Belgrade the discussion points include the general principles of the agreement as well as political dialogue, regional co-operation and financial co-operation. The next – plenary – meeting is scheduled for 8 November, where the main topic will be Serbia and Montenegro’s co-operation with the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague and the rights of minorities.
A key condition to the success of the SAA process is the extradition by Belgrade of top war crimes suspects Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic.
Further official rounds are scheduled for April and November 2006. There will also be five technical rounds, in December 2005 and in March, June, July and September 2006. The SAA negotiations are expected to last a year, and Belgrade hopes to qualify for EU membership by 2012.