European Union leaders have agreed to send administrators and police to Kosovo in anticipation of its declaration of independence from Serbia. In an effort to ease tensions in the Balkans, they have also offered Serbia a quicker path to joining the EU once certain conditions are met. However, Serbia has rejected the idea that this offer is meant to compensate for the loss of Kosovo. The EU leaders have stated that negotiations on Kosovo's future have reached a standstill and that a resolution needs to be reached. They decided not to fully support independence. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, the chairman of the summit, stated that sending an ESDP mission to Kosovo was a political decision that shows the EU's intention to take the lead on Kosovo and the region's future. The ESDP mission consists of 1,800 personnel including police, justice officials, and civilian administrators. Socrates stated that discussions about the EU recognizing Kosovo's independence were ongoing at the United Nations, emphasizing that the EU is actively addressing the issue rather than ignoring it. French President Nicolas Sarkozy acknowledged that the EU is facing challenges regarding Kosovo's anticipated independence. It was reported that Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania are opposed to recognizing Kosovo's sovereignty without a UN Security Council resolution. "ON A PLANE"? EU leaders, after resolving an institutional stalemate, shifted focus to addressing challenges in the Balkans, globalisation, and immigration. The EU expressed confidence in Serbia's bid to join the bloc, with hopes of accelerating progress towards candidate status. Pro-EU moderates in Belgrade aim for candidate status by next year, a timeline deemed ambitious but feasible by EU Enlargement Commission Olli Rehn. Typically, it takes up to two years for Brussels to grant candidate status after signing a Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA). The signing of an SAA with Belgrade has been delayed due to the failure to transfer Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic to a UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague on genocide charges. Outgoing chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has urged EU leaders to maintain pressure on Belgrade to deliver indictees, criticizing France, Germany, and Italy for wanting to soften their stance. She is counting on Belgium and the Netherlands to remain firm. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has stated that he will not sign the SAA until Mladic is taken to the Hague. EU leaders have appointed former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez to lead a new group that will discuss the long-term future of the EU, covering issues such as enlargement, climate change, and regional stability. Two vice-chairs of the panel were named as well, including ex-Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila. The leaders also addressed public concerns about European job markets being strained by immigration and cheap imports, which they hope to focus on now that the new Lisbon Treaty has been ratified. The treaty, which replaced the abandoned constitution, aims to streamline the EU's structures to accommodate enlargement following the addition of 12 ex-communist states in 2004 and 2007. Critics argue that it will limit the control a nation has over its own affairs and instead give more authority to Brussels.