EU, World Bank to hold Kosovo donors' conference

The European Union and the World Bank plan to hold an international donors conference for Kosovo, the European Commission said on Friday, two days before the territory is expected to declare independence from Serbia.

"I can confirm that the European Commission together with the World Bank is preparing a donors' conference, most probably for June," Commission spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said.

Kosovo, which will not be admitted to the United Nations because of Russian and Serbian opposition to its independence, faces enormous economic development needs to overcome mass unemployment and become a viable state, experts say.