Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic said that Serbia is investing great efforts in order to be granted candidate status for EU membership on 9 December.

In an interview with the daily "Vecernje Novosti" Djelic said that efforts are being made to ensure the full consensus among the EU members, adding that restoration of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is vital.

The Serbian government will do everything to create the conditions for Serbia to get the status, he said, specifying that the European Commission posed the condition of re-establishing dialogue with Pristina and implemented agreements so far made.

He said that in days to come he will lobby for the candidacy of Serbia in London, together with Serbian President Boris Tadic, and then in Ireland and France, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic.

He also announced lobbying in Poland, and Belgium.

Djelic said that we will try to assure the officials of those countries that the candidate status for EU membership would not be a privilege, but something that Serbia has deserved, considering all of its achievements.

As for the possible postponement of the decision on the candidacy, the Deputy Prime Minister said that so far there are no such announcements, adding that he got such assurances from ministers of foreign affairs of the Netherlands and Sweden.