The European Union's executive Commission has said it will open membership talks with Serbia in the wake of its agreement with its breakaway neighbour Kosovo.

In a bid to begin negotiations with the European Union, Serbia had to relinquish it's last foothold in Kosovo, it's former province.

The Serbian government has approved a potentially landmark agreement to normalize relations that could end years of tensions and put the Balkan rivals on a path to EU membership.

The process of it's acession into the European bloc of countries is likely to take a couple of years as it aims to fulfil all necessary criteria set out by EU leaders.

Serbia, along with 5 other Western Balkans countries, was identified as a potential candidate for EU membership during the Thessaloniki European Council summit in 2003.

In 2008, a European partnership for Serbia was adopted, setting out priorities for the country's membership application, and in 2009 it formally applied.

In 2010, the process to ratify the Stabilisation and Association Agreement began, and in March 2012 Serbia was granted EU candidate status.