Is it useful to offer Serbia an accelerated prospect of accession to the European Union? Views on this differ within the EU. Some call for Serbia to be given the prospect of candidate country status as soon as possible, claiming that this is the best guarantee of a stable Serbia that looks to the West, rather than falling into the arms of Russia. It would also, they say, slightly ease Serbia’s pain at the loss of Kosovo and the recognition of that country by most EU member states. In The Times of 12 March, the foreign ministers of France and Sweden, Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt, argued for the rapid granting of candidate status to Serbia. There is, they write, no alternative to future EU membership.

We also think that Serbia’s place is in Europe. But unlike other EU member states, we do not want to relax the conditions that the EU set Serbia in order to reach that goal. Serbia must satisfy all the criteria before a Stabilisation and Association Agreement – the next step in the accession process – can be signed.

Full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is one of those criteria. That is not negotiable. After all, such cooperation reflects the standards of the rule of law that governs Europe. As a potential member of the European family, Serbia must meet those standards. And while we realise the great sensitivity of the issue, we feel Serbia must face up to its recent past and come to terms with it. Ratko Mladic has been indicted for crimes against humanity – the most serious crimes that have been committed in Europe since the Second World War. What comfort and justice can there be for his victims and our society if he walks free? The arrest of Mladic and his surrender to The Hague would be the best proof of Serbia’s desire to be part of Europe and to embrace European values.

The rapid signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement must not be used as an incentive to help bring pro-European Serbian politicians success at the ballot box. We would be showing scant regard for our own rules if we let the enlargement process be determined by such expedients. And there is no guarantee whatsoever that relaxing the conditions would lead to greater stability in the western Balkans and reforms in Serbia itself. In fact, if the EU now dropped its condition of cooperation with the ICTY, this would play into the hands of nationalist forces in Serbia. The obvious interpretation would be that Kosovo was bargained away by pro-European Serbian politicians. Radical parties would be emboldened in their mistaken viewpoint and would claim a dubious victory, leaving the EU with egg on its face.

In other words, Serbia itself will determine how quickly it moves towards the EU. It is the Serbs who hold the key, not us. In January, the European Union offered Serbia a political dialogue that confirmed the prospect of EU membership. The EU has said it is prepared to work with Serbia to look at ways of accelerating progress towards ultimate EU membership. We feel the EU made a significant offer in reaching out in this way. It is disappointing that the government in Belgrade has yet to accept it.

Of course we have no wish to alienate Serbia from the EU. But our main aim is to ensure that the EU does not become alienated from itself. By this we mean that we must not allow the values that underpin our successful partnership – such as democracy, freedom and respect for human rights – to be undermined. The EU would do great harm to its credibility if it sought to compromise on its own principles. Let us not go down that road.

What we should be doing is bringing Serbians closer to Europe. We should explain what Europe stands for and what it could mean for them. This means active diplomacy to convey to Serbians what Europe does and what it has achieved. It also means that we have to bring people into contact with each other, facilitate exchanges between young people, students and artists. Openings were outlined in the offer of political dialogue. The European Commission must now follow them up. The EU will substantially increase the number of scholarships for young Serbs who want to study in the EU. And the EU is supporting civil society organisations in Serbia to strengthen democracy.

We want to help Serbia get on the road to Europe. And then it is up to the Serbs themselves to choose: for or against a future in Europe.