Brussels

BRUSSELS - Serbia has made further progress in the field of EU integration over the last year, but additional efforts are needed for putting reforms in place, primarily in the fields of judiciary, the fight against corruption and the normalization of relations with Pristina, the European Commission (EC) notes in its annual progress report that was presented in Brussels on Wednesday.

"Important day for Serbia"

BELGRADE -- Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport handed to PM Aleksandar Vučić the latest European Commission's integration progress report for Serbia.

BRUSSELS - Kosovo has the capacity to move forward in EU integration, but it faces numerous challenges in combating organised crime and corruption and establishing the rule of law, the European Commission (EC) annual report on Kosovo presented in Brussels on Wednesday says.

BELGRADE,- Ivica Dacic, Serbia's first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, has said that introducing sanctions against Russia is unacceptable for Serbia as that would be against its national and state interests.

Fule: Serbia became one of our closest partners

BELGRADE -- Stefan Fule has qualified as "impressive" the progress Serbia has made in its EU integration during the European Commission's five-year term.

Fule's mandate as EU's enlargement commissioner will end in several weeks.

BELGRADE - EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele qualified as impressive the progress Serbia has made in the European integration process during the European Commission's (EC) five-year term of office which ends in several weeks.

FM: Sanctions against Russia would harm Serbia

Belgrade, Moscow -- Foreign Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić has said that Serbia would find it "unacceptable" to join sanctions against Russia.

Such a move would mean that the country is acting "directly against its national interests," he told the state broadcaster RTS late on Tuesday.

Separation of the state from party politics, pressures on the media and the judiciary will be the main focus areas for Montenegro in this year's EU Progress Report, sources in Brussels said.  

The report due out on Wednesday will urge a strengthening of the rule of law and fresh measures to spur economic recovery, reports said.

A senior EU source said the European Commission Progress Reports for 2014 on the Western Balkans, due out on Wednesday, would mainly highlight failings in the fields of the rule of law, corruption, fundamental rights such as freedom of expression as well as threats to the independence of the media.

The drastic immigration reduction in Switzerland will isolate the country and will damage its ties with the European Union, left-wing groups said on Monday, urging voters to reject the proposal.

On November 30, Swiss voters will decide in a referendum whether the country should cap immigration to 0.2% of the population or 16,000 people a year.