Germany is single-handedly preventing Serbia from becoming a formal candidate member of the European Union, showing that Germany controls which Balkan nations get access to the cash and trade advantages that come with EU membership.

Serbia was scheduled to be approved for formal candidature by EU leaders on December 9, but Germany is threatening to block that. “The path of Serbia into the EU can only lead through the normalization of its relations with Kosovo,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said December 2. “I regret that Serbia has so far not lived up to these expectations sufficiently and therefore the conditions for being awarded the status of a candidate are not yet in place.”

“Serbia is moving away from a positive decision with every day,” German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière said.

“Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has been ratcheting up the pressure on Serbia in recent weeks, but Germany’s tough line has still surprised other member states,” wrote the European Voice.

It quotes a senior EU official saying: “It looks like we have to get used to Germany doing things that other member states find hard to understand. It’s just the same [on Serbia] as with the eurozone.”

Other nations oppose Germany’s stance; one diplomat said: “The Serbs have done what was asked of them. They deserve candidate status.”

Part of Germany’s discontent is a result of efforts by Serbs living in northern Kosovo—where they are in the majority—to stop the area coming under control of the Kosovar Albanians.

Long-time German allies are put on the fast track toward EU membership while Germany’s historic enemy, the Serbs, are left out.

The Trumpet has long said that Germany provoked the Yugoslav wars to gain control of the Balkan Peninsula. Now its control is clear. Of course, gathering Balkan nations into the EU could be another way to gain control over them. But for now, Germany is using its control of EU entry to try to force Serbia into submission.