Italy says time right for Serbia to apply for EU Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:20pm IST

* Italy backs Serbia plan to apply for EU candidacy

* Italy eyes green energy production in Serbia

By Gordana Filipovic

BELGRADE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Serbia should apply for EU membership by the end of this year as a way to confirm “loud and clear” the Balkan country’s intentions, Italy’s ambassador to Serbia said on Wednesday.

Serbia plans to apply for EU membership in December, but is still waiting for signals from Brussels to proceed.

“Italy is strongly in favour of Serbia applying for EU candidacy,” Armando Varricchio told a news conference ahead of an Italy-Serbia summit in Rome on Friday.

“It’s a political move that will really confirm loud and clear that the Serbian government’s objective is to eventually join the EU.”

The only EU member still opposed to Serbia’s membership is The Netherlands, which wants Belgrade to hand over two remaining fugitives to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, including ex-Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic.

Mladic has been indicted for the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and a 43-month siege of Sarajevo during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, and is still at large.

Once the Dutch concerns are addressed, currently frozen trade agreements between Serbia and the EU can be unblocked and Serbia can apply to the EU.

“Of course, the decision has to be unanimous, supported by all members,” Varricchio said. “One member state still has some doubts, but we are working both in Brussels and bilaterally to explain that Serbia has done what was required.”

U.N. chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz visited Belgrade last week and Serbia is hoping his report to the U.N. Security Council in December will indicate progress.

Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will host the first Italo-Serbian summit to establish a strategic partnership, and will sign accords on cooperation in infrastructure and energy.

“Italy has this kind of summit only with a very, very restrictive number of countries ... This is to confirm that Serbia is considered by Italy as a strategic partner.”

Specifically, Varricchio said Italy sees an opportunity for Serbia to build green power plants that rely on renewable sources and export the electricity to Italy.

Held up by a decade of wars and sanctions, Serbia is trying to reform its economy and catch up with other former communist states of eastern and central Europe and ultimately join the EU.

A Reuters poll on Wednesday showed Serbia is likely to join in 2016. [nLA704894] (Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)