In the Bosnian city of Banja Luka, around 10,000 people took to the streets with the message ‘Kosovo is Serbia' and calling for the secession of the Republic of Srpska from Bosnia. At the same time, representatives of the European Commission reiterated that they intend to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia-Herzegovina, which will permit the multi-ethnic state to advance towards EU membership.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, said yesterday that he expected to "be able to sign an SAA with Bosnia-Herzegovina shortly, that is in April." Rehn added that an SAA would be a "great opportunity for the country and I trust the leaders will not miss this opportunity".

PICTURE: Map of Stabilization and Association process (SAp). In blue, member States. In red, countries running the SAp process. From Wikipedia.

Further information:

• EU Observer: Brussels urges Bosnia 'not to miss opportunity' for closer EU ties
• Euronews: Bosnian Serb protesters denounce Kosovo's breakaway