Two months deadline for ratification of demarcation

This message, representatives of Kosovo institutions, has been broadcast to both European Union officials and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee, who stayed in Pristina a few days ago.

Given that in Brussels, the focus is expected to be focused on the upcoming European Parliament elections -- the new delays in Pristina over the ratification of the demarcation -- is believed to reflect on new delays in the visa liberalisation process.

The urgency of completing the demarcation issue has been addressed by the Minister of European Integrations in the Government of Kosovo, the Gift Hoxha, which long ago remained in Brussels. She has acknowledged that EU officials are interested in closing this issue without new delays.

I, at my meetings in Brussels, have certainly informed them of the latest developments in Government, of the efforts and initiatives the prime minister has undertaken regarding the formation of the new Commission for the demarcation of the border line and the work he is doing, but despite this report, has again been reiterated that ratification of the demarcation remains a key condition”.

“A request has been to proceed as soon as possible, because elections in the European Parliament then begin”, the Minister of Integration, Data Hoxha, has said.

The initiative of Kosovo's prime minister and government that the new state commission for border demarcation makes new measurements, reportedly correcting the current version of the Agreement with Montenegro, is not being welcomed by the European Union.

Even Montenegro's government has been declared that demarcation of the border with Kosovo is a closed issue.

International Law Professor at Pristina University Africa Hoti says Kosovo can unilaterally change nothing in this agreement. Therefore, he says institutions remain to ratify or annul this agreement.

If you need to move forward. The opposite is whether, eventually, remains in the context of a frozen conflict, as many countries have so far”, Hoti points out.

The new delays, with ratification of the demarcation agreement, would complicate even with much of the process, declares MP Ilir Deda from the Alternative. He says Kosovo citizens should know that the European Union soon enters the election process, and that means that in less than two months, Kosovo could lose its step.

MP Deda tells Radio Free Europe that Kosovo has the last train ahead of itself for the possibility of visa liberalisation.

“If we take into account that 2018 is the last year of the European Commission's mandate and the composition of the European Parliament, while in 2019 new elections are held for the European Parliament, and taking into account the internal context of EU member states, then it will hardly be willing to proceed with visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens”, points out Deda.

According to him, it means that Kosovo should give epilogue to the demarcation issue as soon as possible in order to join the agenda of the next EU Council meeting, held in June 2018.

“If we close the issue further in January, then we can expect the EU Council to make a decision on abolishing visas in June of next year”.

“I hope that immediately after the run-off, on November 19th, political forces in the country will be lowered and discussed as to how to get out of the deadlock in which we are in terms of demarcation”, deputy Deda points out.

Kosovo and Montenegro have signed the border demarcation agreement in August 2015 in Vienna. This agreement was ratified by Montenegro's Assembly, but not by Kosovo's. In Pristina, there are different views about this agreement, which has been more vocally rejected by the Vetevendosje Movement and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Kosovo incumbent Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's party, respectively.

Meanwhile, the European Union has made clear to Kosovo institutions that ratification of the demarcation with Montenegro remains a condition for the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo citizens.