(Bloomberg) -- The Dutch government will block Serbia from progressing further in its talks toward future membership in the European Union, according to its foreign minister.
The Netherlands believes that Serbia isn’t yet ready for the next step, Dutch news agency ANP cited Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp as saying in Brussels on Monday.
All EU member states must give their consent for each stage of talks toward the eventual accession. Aspiring to join the bloc for more than two decades, Serbia is stuck on the path as it refuses to accept the 2008 secession of its former province Kosovo.
President Aleksandar Vucic has also repeatedly faced questions over the fairness of the country’s electoral process. Belgrade has also refused to join the EU’s sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.
Under Vucic, Serbia has been seeking to balance its relations with Western powers, Russia and China. While the Serbian government has condemned the Russian invasion, it seeks to extend its gas supply contract with Moscow that expires in March.
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