European Union leaders have agreed to deploy administrators and police to Kosovo in anticipation of its declaration of independence from Serbia. They have also offered Serbia a quick path to EU membership once certain conditions are met. However, Serbia has rejected the idea that this offer is a form of compensation for losing Kosovo. The EU leaders have stated that negotiations on Kosovo's future have reached a standstill, the current situation is not sustainable, and there is a need to work towards a resolution for Kosovo. They did not fully support independence, but they made a political decision to send an ESDP mission to Kosovo, which shows the EU's commitment to leading on Kosovo and the region's future. The mission includes police, justice officials, and civilian administrators. When questioned about the EU's stance on recognizing Kosovo's independence, Socrates mentioned that discussions were ongoing at the United Nations. He emphasized that the EU was actively addressing the issue and not ignoring it. French President Nicolas Sarkozy acknowledged the EU's struggle with accepting Kosovo's inevitable independence. It was noted that Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania were opposed to recognizing Kosovo's sovereignty without a UN Security Council resolution. "ON A PLANE"? The day following the signing of a treaty to resolve a long-standing institutional deadlock, EU leaders shifted their attention to the challenges presented by the Balkans, as well as by globalization and immigration, which will test the EU's ability to strengthen its foreign policy influence. Regarding Serbia's application to join the 27-nation bloc, the final summit statement expressed confidence that progress towards EU membership, including candidate status, could be expedited. Pro-EU factions in Belgrade are aiming for candidate status by the end of the coming year, a goal that EU Enlargement Commission Olli Rehn recently described as ambitious yet achievable. Typically, it takes about two years for Brussels to grant candidate status to an applicant country after signing a Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA), the initial step on the path to EU membership. The delay in signing an SAA with Belgrade is due to their failure to hand over Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic to a UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague for genocide charges. Outgoing chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has urged EU leaders not to go easy on Belgrade and to continue putting pressure on them to extradite indicted individuals. Del Ponte expressed surprise at France, Germany, and Italy's willingness to soften their stance, and is relying on Belgium and the Netherlands to maintain a tough approach. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen stated that Mladic must be sent to the Hague before he will agree to sign the SAA. According to diplomats, EU leaders have appointed former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez to lead a new "reflection group" to discuss the future of the EU in areas such as enlargement, climate change, and regional stability. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former Latvian President, and Jorma Ollila, Nokia's chairman, were chosen as vice-chairs of the panel, which is expected to report in June 2010. The leaders also addressed concerns about European job markets being affected by immigration and cheap imports, issues that the EU plans to focus on following the signing of the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty, which replaced the failed constitution in 2005, aims to preserve key institutional reforms while eliminating symbols of statehood such as a flag and anthem. EU leaders believe the treaty will help streamline the bloc's structures to accommodate future enlargement after the inclusion of 12 ex-communist states in 2004 and 2007. Critics argue that it will limit the independence of nations and transfer more authority to Brussels.