(ANSA) - BELGRADE - The unification of Europe, which began in 1989, can only be completed after the accession to the EU of the Western Balkan countries, in a process based on the EU's rule of law, which includes even the solution of all bilateral disputes still open in that region, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn said in Belgrade on Thursday.

Speaking at a conference on the European prospect for the Western Balkans, Hahn underlined that the European Union is a project of peace, stability and prosperity that will be fully implemented only by involving the Western Balkans. ''EU membership of the countries of the Western Balkans is not only the goal of the individual states within the region, but also of the Union itself, and with this strategy we have given Serbia and the other countries in the region an indication of a timeframe for membership''.

Furthermore, according to Hahn, the legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations with Pristina that Serbia has to reach before joining the EU does not presuppose that Kosovo's independence has to be recognised. (ANSA).