Serbia’s president dissolves parliament and sets date for early legislative vote – Europe live | Europe

“What is very clear is that enlargement is very much a priority for the EU,” said Vladimír Bilčík, a Slovak MEP who is the European parliament’s point person on Serbia.

It’s a “top political priority for the union in a way we haven’t seen in many years,” he told the Guardian in a phone interview.

Asked about European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s trip to the western Balkans, Bilčík said the commission’s chief’s message was clear in Belgrade that the EU wants Serbia to join but it must change and must deliver, in particular when it comes to foreign policy alignment.

The messaging on to both Serbia and Kosovo on normalisation was also “very clear,” he said.

The timing of the von der Leyen visit “was also extremely important,” he said, pointing to Serbia’s election announcement and the fact that enlargement will be a top issue on the agenda in Brussels next week.

“The ball is also very much in the hands of our partners,” he said, adding that while there have been “question marks” in the region, “the partners have to commit.”

“The way the EU is united around enlargement … is unprecedented,” the parliamentarian said.

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said during a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that her message is “re-emphasising that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future is in the European Union, and how much we want to have you as a full member of the European Union, and how strong our support is on your path forward towards this goal”.

Now indeed the goal should be to make resolute progress on the 14 key priorities that you know very well. This will make you move forward with the accession process and bring you closer to the European Union – and again we are here to support you. The cooperation with you has been excellent, I thank you for that. And building on that, the cooperation and closely linked work together will continue.

We all know that to reach this objective to move forward, we need Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak and move with one, as one. With one voice and move forward as one. What we cannot accept is a backsliding on our common values or divisions in any part of your country.

Von der Leyen also underscored that “Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future is in the European Union as a single, united and sovereign country” and that “we should bring our economies closer to each other”.

Borjana Krišto, the chair of the council of ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has said Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to the country is an “important step” for its accession path.

The visit was also an opportunity for Bosnia to learn more about the EU’s growth plan for the region, she said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s council of ministers remained committed to delivering on reforms, Krišto added.

Lisa O’Carroll

The Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić’s decision to dissolve parliament confirms a December election that had been widely expected.

It is also, Kosovars believe, the reason why he did not agree to a new US-EU solution for managing northern Kosovo after five hours of meetings in Brussels last week involving the French president, Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell.

Though Kosovo agreed to all parts of the plan, which was put to the leaders in Serbia and Kosovo in separate meetings the previous Saturday, Vučić refused to sign it.

Kosovo has long suspected that Serbia would not sign any agreement for self-management of the northern municipalities, where the population is Serbian dominated, because that would be a step on the road to official recognition of Kosovo by Belgrade.

The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, told Vučić and Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, yesterday that the EU expected Serbia and Kosovo to respect the agreements they made in Ohrid, Macedonia, this year to normalise their relations.

Von der Leyen met Vučić in Belgrade a day after she asked Serbia to “deliver on de facto recognition of Kosovo”.

After their meetings in Brussels, the three EU leaders called on Kosovo’s leadership to press ahead with the self-management plan, known as the association of Serb-majority municipalities, and for Serbia to deliver on recognition.

The German Green MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel has called on Brussels to be clearer about Serbia’s democracy problems.

The EU should have clarity about shortcomings in the rule of law, media freedom and democracy in Serbia, the parliamentarian wrote on social media today.

“Call a spade a spade – we need democratic Serbia, not further appeasement of Vučić,” she said, referring to the country’s president.

Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, dissolved parliament and formally set a parliamentary election for 17 December. Local elections will be held in some municipalities on the same day, including Belgrade.

“We are living in a time in which it is necessary for all of us to be united in the struggle for vital … interests of Serbia, in which we will be under numerous pressures, both because of our position on Kosovo, and because of other regional and global issues,” the president said after signing the decree, Reuters reported.

Good morning and welcome back to the Europe blog.

Today we will be looking at the latest developments in the western Balkans.

European capitals, along with Washington, are keeping a close eye on the region amid concerns about tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as questions about western Balkan countries’ EU membership bids.

Send comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.