Association, frozen issue until continuing dialogue

But, of this association, very few are spoken of in both Kosovo and Serbia, as both countries' authorities are more focused on the eventual achievement of a final agreement.

The Council of Ministers of the European Union has criticised Kosovo's institutions and expressed regret that the agreement on Association of Serb majority municipalities has not yet been implemented by Kosovo authorities.

The Council has also requested that the agreements reached in political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia are implemented by both sides. Mostly, it is about agreements that had been signed in the early phase of the talks since 2013.

Representatives of Kosovo institutions have recently stated that no association of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo will be established, unless even a final agreement with Serbia is reached, where association may be one of its points.

Becir Fejzullahu, deputy minister at the Ministry of Local Power Management, told Radio Free Europe that there is no action so far in terms of forming the Association of Serb-run municipalities.

Because dialogue is stuck and there is no movement in that direction, there is no movement at the moment even at the Local Power Management Ministry regarding the creation of this association. Dialogue will develop between Kosovo and Serbia at the level of presidents, and it is understood that the Government of Kosovo also has the negotiating team, then it depends on the development of dialogue when it resumes”, Feyzullahu said.

Deputy Prime Minister Fejzullahu says that when the international factor requires Kosovo implementation of an agreement, it should also require Serbia to implement signed agreements.

The Council of Ministers when seeking implementation of agreements reached in 2013/2015, has a number of agreements which have not been implemented on the part of Serbia”, he said.

Among other things, the Council of Ministers has reiterated that all agreements reached under the EU umbrella must be implemented. Further consolidation of the justice agreement and full implementation of the Telekom agreement is also required.

On the other hand, Life Krasniqi, connoisseur of the process of political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia by the Democratic Institute of Kosovo, tells Radio Free Europe that before there is remarks from the EU Council of Ministers for Kosovo, harsh criticism must be made for Serbia, since, according to her, Serbia is not implementing most of the agreements reached by dialogue.

Kosovo's “Pala has expressed readiness to form this association in accordance with the Constitutional Court of Kosovo's decision, as it is in agreement, where it says that association should be in line with the Court's decision. So, the Kosovar side is willing to implement the agreement, but it is Serbia that does not want to form association as stated by the Constitutional Court. Therefore, pressure must go towards Serbia”, Krasniqi said.

Krasniqi says the Serbian side has more and more unmet agreements that are very important and has weight in improving reports between the two countries. She says the European Union should explain why there is delay in implementing all agreements reached.

What we know is that by 2017, technical talks have been interrupted, so there should be a clarification on the part of the Mogher office, which is still the mediator of this process to clarify what happened with the agreements reached in these seven years of dialogue and what will happen in the future in the final phase of this process”, Krasniqi said.

Currently, government authorities in Kosovo are seeking a framework agreement for the next phase of talks between Kosovo and Serbia, through which the entire process of finalising dialogue would then be conducted.

Such a request, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, has particularly strengthened him after the Berlin Summit and the later meeting he held with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, is seeking a greater role in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

The Merkel Macron Initiative is a new effort to resume negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia, as the process facilitated by the European Union in Brussels has remained deadlocked for about seven months.