German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during her visit to Serbia Tuesday there were three preconditions for Serbia's European integration.

At a press conference in Belgrade, Merkel pointed out that Serbia was now in a decisive stage, when its candidate status, the next goal on the country's path towards the EU, should be dealt with.

She said that getting the candidate status depended on three points, namely, implementing reforms in the country, meeting the Copenhagen criteria, which necessitated the regulation of relations with neighbors, where Serbia had made significant progress, and improving the relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Merkel sees the solution to the Kosovo issue in three points as well: progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, EULEX jurisdiction in the entire Kosovo territory, and efforts toward abolishing parallel structures of power.

Merkel said it would be inconceivable to present Kosovo as a problem at a point when negotiations on Serbia's admission to membership of the EU reached completion.