The European Union and Serbia have taken a welcome step forward in the long march towards bringing Belgrade out of the wilderness where it was stranded by the late and unlamented Slobodan Milosevic.

The stabilisation and association agreement signed this week is an instrument designed to pave the way for countries to prepare for EU membership through increased political and economic co-operation. Boris Tadic, Serbia’s pro-EU president, immediately declared he wanted official membership candidate status by the year-end.