The EU has set January 21 as the starting date for membership talks with Serbia.

The EU ministers for European Affairs have “acknowledged Serbia’s reform and normalization efforts and the first intergovernmental conference is planned for January 21”, tweeted EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, writes Deutsche Welle.

"This is an historic event for Serbia, a day that many generations of citizens and numerous governments have awaited," Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on the national RTS TV network.

One of the key requirements of the EU was for Serbia to normalize its relations with neighboring Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.

Months of EU-brokered negotiations resulted in an agreement between the two countries in April, although Serbia is yet to recognize its former province as an independent nation.

Despite the start of accession talks, the process is expected to take several years and Serbia’s membership is still in the distant future.

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