Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić has applied the brakes to his country's EU accession process by saying that there is "no reason to run after a date and text" to enter negotiations. The issue of the recognition of Kosovo's independenceremains a major stumbling block. A few days ahead of the European Commission's October 10th "progress report" on Serbia's accession, it is likely that his statement and those of some ministers may delay negotiations until next summer.

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