Ambassador of Germany in Belgrade Wolfram Maas confirmed Friday that the attitude of Germany regarding Serbia's EU candidacy is different from that of the European Commission.

Maas said in a statement to Tanjug news agency that the German government has not yet made a decision regarding the granting of candidate status to Serbia.

The European Commission adopted in mid-October a recommendation to grant to Serbia candidate status for membership in the European Union. The final decision will be taken by the European Council on December 9.

As regards the expectations of Germany, which were expressed by Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Belgrade in August, It is true that there is a difference of opinions between the European Commission and the position of Germany, Maas said.

The ambassador said that the decision on Serbia's candidate status is not a decision of the European Commission, it is just a proposal for the European Council, and a final decision will be taken by all members of the EU.

With regard to some media speculations that the parliament of Germany could pass a resolution to postpone decision-making on candidate status for Serbia until the middle of next year, the ambassador said that it is possible that the parliament pass a resolution on the progress of countries in the region, but pointed out that the decision is up to the German government.

Maas explained that the parliament of Germany is interested in the question of the candidacy of Serbia and recalled that three Bundestag delegations visited Belgrade last week. The German parliament will, however, have its say about setting a date of the beginning of negotiations for membership in the EU, he noted.

During her visit to Belgrade in August, German Chancellor Merkel said that on its way to the EU, Serbia needs to implement reforms and fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, including cooperation with its neighbors. She also said that it is necessary to continue the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, that it must make progress, and that the agreements reached so far must be implemented.