Maja Kocijancic

BRUSSELS - All steps towards integration of Kosovo Serb judicial staff into Kosovo's judicial system have been taken and the agreement on the judiciary, reached in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, is expected to take effect on Tuesday, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said on Monday.

Both sides have fulfilled their obligations, Kocijancic told Tanjug.

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has accused Serbia of hindering ethnic Serb judges and prosecutors from taking an oath and joining the Kosovo's judicial system.

Maja Kocijancic, the spokesperson for EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, told BIRN on Monday that a landmark agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, unifying the justice system in Kosovo, will come into force on Tuesday.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says he is awaiting the reaction of the EU and those who said that Kosovo is a special case.

Dacic, who also serves as the first deputy PM, asked whether Presevo - a town and area in the southern part of central Serbia inhabited by ethnic Albanians - was now also "a special case."

BRUSSELS - EU spokesperson Maja Kocijancic on Tuesday dismissed allegations the standards applicable to Catalonia and Spain are different from those that were applicable to Serbia in the case of Kosovo.

Commenting on the European Commission's position that Kosovo and Catalonia are incomparable cases, Kocijancic said there were no double standards.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says he is awaiting the reaction of the EU and those who said that Kosovo is a special case. Dacic, who also serves as the first deputy PM, asked whether Presevo - a town and area in the southern part of central Serbia inhabited by ethnic Albanians - was now also "a special case."

An EU spokesperson has denied that the standards applicable to Catalonia and Spain are different from those applicable to Serbia in the case of Kosovo.

Maja Kocijancic on Tuesday stressed that international law is "universal" and that the EU "respects it fully."

BRUSSELS - The speed and date of Serbia's EU accession are based on performance and depend primarily on implementation of reforms and normalisation of ties with Kosovo, European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said in a statement to Tanjug, noting the EU would work with Serbia on a stronger and speedier accession process.

EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy spokesperson Maja Kocijancic told BIRN that Brussels is not considering funding a joint EU-US humanitarian centre for financing, as Serbian media suggested on Thursday.

Serbian media claimed that the Western-backed centre could be a counterweight to the Russian-Serbian humanitarian centre in the southern city of Nis.

BELGRADE - The European Union expects the Community of Serb Municipalities to be formed as soon as possible, says Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson to EU foreign policy and security chief Federica Mogherini.