Sometime today or tomorrow, Kosovo will likely become Europe's newest independent state.

After years of war, political wrangling and uncertainty, this small landlocked country of two million people in the heart of the Balkans will finally realise its desire for independence.

The move - at face value at least - will put an end to the greater Serbia project perpetrated by the late Slobodan Milosevic and other Serb ultra nationalists, that brought so much suffering to the region.

In the coming weeks and months, once the flag waving and euphoria dissipates, the people of Kosovo - Albanian and Serb alike - will still face an uncertain future. It would be naive to assume that ethnic wounds are no longer raw. It would be equally blinkered to imagine that those bitterly ingrained nationalist ambitions do not continue to lurk among those capable of stirring centuries-old hatreds for their own political advantage. Real integration between the Albanian and Serb communities is still a long way off. Then there is Kosovo's other Achilles heel - the economy. It remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, and while much has been achieved in the way of reconstruction, it is still blighted by corruption and organised crime.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci will doubtless be under tremendous pressure from his citizens to deliver improvements quickly, while neighbouring Belgrade and their allies in Moscow will continue to threaten retaliation over Kosovo's secession.

Both see Kosovo as a convenient cause celebre to have a go at the West and flex their own political muscles elsewhere. For these very reasons, it is vital that the EU ensures that this new European neighbour is given the support and investment it needs when it needs it most.

Only this will ensure that the spectre of the past is prevented from resurrecting itself in the future.