Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini expressed belief that the European Commission (EC) will propose that Serbia should get both the candidate status and a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks.

In terms of the European perspective, all signals which came from Belgrade in the last few months were more than positive.

This is the reason why Italy is certain that the EC report will recognize Serbia's progress and propose to the European Council to approve both the candidate status and a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks, Frattini said for the Tuesday edition of Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti.

In the coming months Serbia has to continue moving in the right direction in order to persuade the EU countries which still have misgivings. Everything is still in the hands of Serbia, and Italy will continue to support the country's EU pathway, said Frattini, who is to visit Belgrade on Wednesday.

When asked whether success of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will be a precondition for the beginning of the EU accession talks, Fattini said that the dialogue as well as its outcome should be considered within the terms of regional cooperation. We encourage all candidate countries and potential candidates to make efforts in that sense since that is crucial for the EU accession of the Balkan countries and overcoming of differences and obstacles.

Asked whether recognition of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence will be a precondition for Serbia's EU membership, Frattini said that this is not an EU precondition, or that at least Italy does not see it as one.

There are five EU countries which have not yet recognized Kosovo's independence. However, Belgrade and Pristina have to make the dialogue successful so that it could be an example of reconciliation and mutual understanding, which are the basic values of the EU that have to be accepted by all EU aspirants, the minister said.