The country should be granted EU candidate status, he argued.

It is still being discussed whether Serbia should be given, together with a candidate status, the date for the commencement of accession talks, Schwarzenberg told the Belgrade-based daily Večernje Novosti, and voiced hope that this would be the case.

"The Czech Republic is strongly promoting the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans," he said, adding that certain EU officials think that a pause should be made after Croatia's EU entry, but that those are just personal opinions.

Commenting on his recent statement that Serbia should not be pressured to extradite the remaining Hague fugitive Goran Hadžić to the Hague Tribunal, Schwarzenberg said that Serbia's progress towards the EU, as an issue of utmost importance, cannot possibly depend on the fate of one fugitive.

However, Schwarzenberg reiterated that it is vital that anyone charged with war crimes be apprehended and extradited to court.