Dutch Foreign Minister Veldkamp called for blocking Serbia's European integration

It is necessary to put pressure on Serbia and block its European integration, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on December 18.

He noted that the kingdom would oppose Belgrade's accession to the European Union (EU).

"We do not want to stand alone. We need to put real pressure on Serbia now," Veldkamp said, Schengen News quoted him as saying.

The minister said Serbia has not shown meaningful progress in the rule of law, has not normalized its relations with the unrecognized republic of Kosovo and generally fails to align its foreign policy with the EU's overall steps.

Veldkamp added that unless other countries support the Dutch position, Amsterdam will stand alone.

Earlier, on October 30, then-head of Eurodiplomacy Josep Borrell pointed out that Serbia's refusal to support anti-Russian sanctions could "undermine its path" to the EU. The diplomat pointed out that Belgrade cooperates with Moscow and Beijing, and fulfills only a little more than half of the association's demands.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ruled out imposing sanctions against Russia on October 20, despite the strong pressure the republic faces. The Serbian leader emphasized that Belgrade and Moscow have a huge number of points of contact and they help bring the peoples of the two states closer together.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the same month that the West was putting pressure on Serbia over its engagement with the EU. The Kremlin spokesman added that Moscow understands this and hopes that Belgrade will make decisions that are in the best interests of the Serbian people.