Serbia's parliament has ratified a key EU document, in a major step on the path to joining the bloc.
The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) was backed by 139 deputies, with 26 voting against.
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However, it still has to be backed by all 27 EU countries, some of whom are still not fully satisfied with Serbia's co-operation on war crimes issues.
The EU has been a divisive issue in Serbia, partly causing the collapse of the last government.
In subsequent elections, however, pro-EU parties were voted in with a substantial majority.
The issue has also caused a split in the opposition Serbian Radical Party (SRS), leading to the resignation of its leader Tomislav Nikolic.
Last week, in a historic U-turn, he committed the nationalist party to backing the SAA.
But that provoked a backlash by many members, forcing him to step down and form his own breakaway faction, while hardliner Dragan Todorovic took charge of the main SRS parliamentary group.
(BBC)
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