Speaking to the press after talks with Serbia and Montenegro officials, Priebe said technical conditions existed for the completion of a feasibility study for the state union's inclusion into the European community by the end of March, but underlined he could say nothing concrete about the outcome.
He said cooperation with the UN court remained a stumbling block on the state union's road to the EU.
The state union's minister for international economic relations, Predrag Ivanovic, said the Government maintained that 2005 must be the year of intensive EU integration, which he added included a positive feasibility study and the start of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus said the past two days of talks with European experts had cleared dilemmas and technical details regarding the association process. He added there were no more institutional obstacles, only political ones, notably cooperation with the Hague tribunal.
EU representatives arrived in Belgrade yesterday for talks with representatives of the state union, Serbia and Montenegro, the last held before the publication of the feasibility study in late March.
At the previous talks, held in Podgorica last July, the authorities of the state union, Serbia, and Montenegro were told the most important conditions for European integration were full cooperation with the Hague tribunal and full respect for the state union's Constitutional Charter and joint institutions.