Ahead of the day's meeting, Italian foreign policy chief Franco Frattini told reporters: "At a time when we should understand Serbia's disappointment ... we need to help a sincere pro-European like [Serbian President Boris] Tadic with very positive message."
On 22 July, the International Court of Justice in the Hague opined that Kosovo had not violated international law by declaring independence in 2008.
"It could not have been today ... but the very positive message would be the handing over of Serbia's EU application to the European Commission," he said, referring to the next step in the process, in which the Council, representing the member states, request an evaluation of the application.
"Belgrade deserves a message of encouragement, such as the European path remaining open with no further preconditions," he said.