Lajcak towards second term as EU emissary for Kosovo-Kosovo dialogue Serbia

Lajcak, who was appointed in April this year to lead the dialogue on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, has a one-year mandate that expires in April 2021. According to some European sources, which wanted to remain anonymous “is quite sure to assume that it would extend the mandate for another year”, of course, if taken into account that by the end of the current mandate, no agreement is reached between Pristina and Belgrade.

In terms of the special envoy's appointment and appointment procedures, EU spokesman Peter Stano has clarified that this is the competence of the member states of the European Union.

The “mandates of all specific messengers are defined in principle for a year, but they continue or are renewed regularly as long as the EU member states agree that the issues of resolving the post in question still continue and require attention and continued efforts of this person. So, in case Mr. Lajcak approaches the end of his official mandate, that does not mean that the EU's dialogue or relief will stop”, Stano has told Radio Free Europe.

In April of this year, European Union Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak had declared for Radio Free Europe that his task is to successfully complete this dialogue and ensure that Kosovo and Serbia once and for all solve all outstanding issues.

In October of this year, European Union for Foreign Policy and Security High Representative Josep Borrell has stressed that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is a complex process, but he indicated that reaching a final agreement is a matter of months, not years.

However, since receiving the mandate, in April, Lajcak managed to revive the dialogue in July, but only three times has he gathered leaders at the meeting, though he intended that the meeting at the highest political level be organised every three weeks.

The last time, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq have met on September 7th, when the topic of the Kosovo Serb majority municipalities' Association issue also opened.

Experts' level meetings are held in order to achieve reconciliations on topics that lead leaders to. Meetings like this have been held seven times in a row, achieving principled reconciliation on only two topics, related to the missing and displaced, as well as economic co-operation.

Currently, experts discuss the financial claims of parties and property, and so far there has been no approach to positions regarding the issues being addressed. The last time on Thursday, December 10th, the meeting has ended even earlier than planned. According to the chief of the Kosovo delegation, Skender Hyseni, it was planned at this meeting to discuss cadastre and pensions, but the parties have not managed to affect the second issue.

At this pace, it is unlikely that the monthly “questions” when talking about completing the process, although the EU continues to believe that deadlines are possible, if there is will on the parties.

“The EU is not what sets the deadlines, because they depend on the ability of both sides to continue and find the necessary consensus. However, we (Borel and Lajcak) have stressed several times that although we are not setting artificial deadlines, we are working on this process to last for months, not years”, said EU spokesman Peter Stano.

Kosovo Government officials say they cannot have an answer about how long the dialogue process with Serbia will last, in Brussels, until a final agreement is reached that resolves the dispute between the two countries, executive officials in Kosovo say.

Kosovo Government spokeswoman Antigona Bajzak tells Radio Free Europe that, despite European Union officials earlier declared that a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia could be a matter of months and not years at the moment, this cannot be prejudiced.

At this moment, we cannot prejudge that the peace agreement with Serbia will be reached or not. We remain to see how the process will turn out. Much depends on the situation with COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Hoti has said several times that talks between Kosovo and Serbia are under way in Brussels on reaching the final agreement with mutual recognition and that there will be no partial agreement. Therefore, we are repeating once again what the prime minister has said, which if a comprehensive agreement with mutual recognition is not reached, the process can also be concluded without agreement, and Kosovo and its northern neighbour, Serbia, can continue on their way to the European Union without knowing each other, Bajzak says.

Explaining the up to date dynamic of the dialogue process, Bajzak stresses that after 20 months of suspension of dialogue, the first meeting in Brussels has been held on July 16th of this year. As she emphasises, at that meeting it is scheduled to be worked on drafting the final agreement for mutual recognition and normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. According to her, the first two topics established since then are people not found and economic issues. Currently, as Bayzak says, the Kosovo side with the Serb side is still discussing these topics.

On the basis of the communiques, which we have distributed to the media and public opinion, it is known that attitudes are still far apart. So I don't want to judge anything. The process is running. We'll see how long it'll last, when it's over and whether or not the deal will be reached”, Bajzak stressed.

Pristina's political issue recogniser, Artan Muhhaxhiri, considers that the current dynamic development of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in Brussels gives no real hope for a quick solution to the Kosovo-Serbia relationship knot. He tells Radio Free Europe that independence of optimistic statements from Brussels, there is no indication that the process of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia could be accelerated.

The “saw a consolidation of Kosovo institutions -- that is, after the election of the president and the redefining of positions within parliament -- which would enable a proper empowerment and decision making -- no progress is seen. On the other hand, without the arrival of the US presidency of Joe Biden and the stabilisation of his governing team, I don't see any added dialogue epilogue activities”, Muhrami stressed.

Mr. Lajcak is not big, though he has been proven a fair mediator. But there was no major development that would substantially challenge his approach. So it is expected that the EU will also believe a new Lajcak mandate, so that it will be further the mediator in the” dialogue, Muhramir adds.

Dusan Janjaq from the Forum for Ethnic Relations in Belgrade, speaking of Radio Free Europe, suggests that reaching a comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia cannot happen within a few months.

Lajcak's first statement has been that this will happen during his term. Then, you expand your deadlines. These are bureaucratic war games for warrants. The reality is that with principles (for dialogue) to this day, it has not, but has made the situation difficult. With the approval of principles (not worth a deal without an agreement) and until they last, there is no possibility that anything will be done. The principle of negotiations needs to be changed, the format needs to be changed, and then we can think for a year or a half to be reached by the” agreement, Janjic points out.

He suggests that the European Commission would urgently have to consider the work of Borelli and Lajcak. For the latter, Janjic stresses that he has had enough of a mandate to show what he can do in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, in which “has not done much”.

He adds that the European Union must clarify the situation and show whether it wants to preserve this form of dialogue as unchanged or want the format that has warned it since 2016, to have political dialogue on political issues and that implementation is controlled through government mechanisms and progress in the European integration process.

“this way even Lajcak has his own road map, as well as the European Commission - whoever it is there, Lajcak or anyone else - that both Belgrade and Pristina have a clear road map in the talks and see how long this will last. In general, at present there is no reason for any positive assessment, as there are no arguments”, Janjiq points out.

In March of next year, it is 10 years since the dialogue in Brussels, between Kosovo and Serbia, eased by the European Union. This dialogue initially started on technical issues, to evolve later in high-level political dialogue.