Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said that Serbia has reasons for optimism when it comes to the decision on forwarding its application for candidacy to the European Commission, which should be made at a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on 25 October.

Following a meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule at the fringes of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans in Bratislava, Jeremic underlined that this decision will be a huge step towards the EU for Serbia.

The Western Balkans is a priority for the Visegrad Group, which is of crucial political and practical importance, bearing in mind the fact that Hungary and Poland will hold the EU’s rotating presidency next year, he observed.

He noted that 2011 can be critical for the European future of not only Serbia, but also the entire region.

Fule remarked that he is optimistic as to the possibility that the EU Council of Ministers forwards Serbia’s application to the European Commission on Monday.

This is upon ministers of member countries to decide, and they are now discussing the way to formulate this decision, the Commissioner concluded.