There was mixed reaction from leaders in Belgrade on Friday to the European Union's recognition of Serbia as a membership candidate the previous evening, dpa reported. "It is not just about a political process and integration ... it is an open door to prosperity," President Boris Tadic said after Serbia was granted candidate status an EU summit in Brussels late Thursday. "The status is a guarantee of security for foreign companies and with that the probability of new jobs," he said."It is also an opportunity for our entrepreneurs." Serbia was allowed a step closer to membership after its last-minute effort to improve relations with its former province Kosovo and a last-second deal on minority protection with Romania. Tadic, who was due to address the nation on Friday, said the step affirmed Belgrade's policy of aiming for EU membership, while refusing to abandon the claim of sovereignty over Kosovo. Tomislav Nikolic, leader of the opposition Serbian Progressive Party, also welcomed the news, but said there was much to be done if Serbia wanted to convert candidacy into actual membership. "As a Serbian, I am happy over the status," said Nikolic, whose bloc will be is the main challenger in parliamentary and local elections due in Serbia within two months. "Everything else is theatre - if Serbia is not ready to move forward ... after achieving the status and remains buried under the authorities which have led the country senselessly over the past 12 years, then the status will mean nothing," he said. Serbian nationalists, also in opposition, have criticized Tadic's compromises over Kosovo, saying he has traded heartland soil for the promise of EU membership. Former prime minister and head of the Democratic Party of Serbia Vojislav Kostunica warned the country that it had "no reason to celebrate."
