The European Union (EU) has again called on Serbia to take immediate steps to bring to justice those suspected of being responsible for the deadly attack in Banjska.

"We have taken into account the announcement of the High Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade on December 2, 2024, to open an investigation into this case," a spokesman for the bloc said on Friday.

He added that Serbia is obliged to cooperate in the investigations into the Banjska case.

On September 24, 2023, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in Banjska, Zvecan, killing one Kosovo police officer. In the ensuing exchange of fire, three more Serb attackers were killed. Kosovo blames Serbia for the attack, which denies involvement, REL reports.

Milan Radoicic, former vice-president of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In September last year, the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office filed indictments against 45 people - among them Radoićić - for the armed attack in Banjska.

Authorities in Serbia refuse to extradite Radoicic to Kosovo and say he will be tried by "Serbian courts," while officials in Kosovo say they have offered him protection.

In December, the chief prosecutor of the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, said that the decision to file an indictment against Radoićić would be made by early 2025.

In Serbia, Radoicic is suspected of other criminal offences, namely "serious crime against general security and illegal production, possession and trafficking of weapons".

Meanwhile, the EU spokesperson reiterated on Friday that for Serbia, progress in talks for membership in the European bloc will also depend on progress in normalizing relations with Kosovo and on the rule of law.

EU member states in December disagreed that Serbia had met all the conditions to open several chapters in the accession negotiation process, even though the European Commission had assessed that those conditions had been met by Belgrade.

Some member states have justified their opposition to opening these chapters by the lack of results in bringing to justice those responsible for the attack in Banjska. Some EU states are particularly unhappy with the fact that there is still no indictment against Radoicic.