EU chief in Kosovo: Association can be avoided, constitutional change should be taken into account

Although Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has named Serbia's discussion on the Association of Serb Majority municipalities, EU Office in Kosovo chief Tomáš Szunyog insists this issue cannot be avoided from dialogue, even if changing Kosovo's constitution is needed.

“Dialogue is in the interest of both sides. It offers an opportunity for both sides to discuss all unresolved issues with each other. The Serb municipal community is one of those issues. A discussion on this cannot be avoided if we want to reach a comprehensive agreement addressing all outstanding issues between Pristina and Belgrade. The next step, which should be taken as soon as possible, is that the draft of the Association Act of Turkey is presented to the key negotiators of both sides. We understand that the draft statute is prepared as envisioned in the 2015 agreement. What we need is for Pristina to agree to participate in this discussion”, Szunyog has said.

The change or not of Kosovo's constitution due to association depends on what the parties will agree to, but, in principle, the need to change the constitution must be taken into account.

For one thing, it depends on what is agreed on. In principle, once you reach an international agreement, legal arrangements should be taken into account to integrate it into internal legal order. This applies to both Kosovo and Serbia”, Szunyog said in an interview for the Serbian media in Kosovo, “Kosovo Online”.

In this interview, the chief of the EU Office in Kosovo has also spoken of the functioning of the Special Court, saying it is necessary to move Kosovo forward on its European path. According to him, the Court, which in Kosovo is deemed unfair, will judge only individuals and not be influenced by the outside. /