Replying to the 2,483 questions, divided into 33 policy areas, may appear as an overly-ambitious task. The questions alone go on for more than 400 pages.

But Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said his country wanted to set foot on the EU track in a very short timeframe.

"The government's aim is for Serbia to obtain EU candidate status by the end of 2011 and to determine the date for the beginning of negotiations," Cvetković stated.

In 2011, the EU's rotating presidency will be held by Hungary and Poland. Both countries are favourable to EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and begin EU negotiations with Serbia as soon as possible.

Once Serbia has returned the questionnaire, the EU executive will begin a process of issuing an opinion, which takes about one year.

Iceland was the only EU candidate country to start negotiation talks, just one year after its  application. But Commission representatives insist that Iceland is a special case, as the Nordic country has already taken on board a lot of EU legislation as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA).

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Source: http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/serbia-asked-2483-questions-about-eu-entry-bid-news-499993