Weber: New German government to be strongest lawyer for Kosovo within EU

The German Bundestag chose Olaf Scholz as Chancellor Wednesday morning, while Angela Merkel bowed down from the political scene.

The renowned German expert for the Balkans, Bodo Weber, expects the new German government led by new Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be more unified for abolishing visas for Kosovars.

The new “Coalialation, unlike the previous one, which generally supported visa liberalisation, but with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, for a long time playing a double game, will be more unified in support of visa liberalisation for Kosovo and a stronger lawyer for within the EU”.

Weber in an interview for Clancosova. Tov said it also expects the current government in Germany to contribute more strongly to the membership of Western Balkan states in the EU.

“Judging by the coalition agreement, the enlargement policy will be strongly run by the Green Party. So I expect the new government to strongly activate the prospect of EU membership and seriously engage with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been blocking EU enlargement” for years now.

Professor Weber thinks that if France leaves pessimism to accept the states of the Western Balkans, then the EU will have greater influence on Serbia and that dialogue will be handled more seriously.

If the French barrier is removed, the EU will again have leverage against Serbia, and only then can we see a serious restoration of Kosovo-Serbia negotiations, which are currently de-facted dead”.

He says the German government at the helm with Scholz will have the same approach towards Kosovo, while awaiting greater rigors against Serbia.

“Preses also for the new German government to take a much tougher stance towards Serbia and the authoritarian transformation of the Vuciqi regime, while continuing politics towards Pristina the government's Merkel. Although that does not mean that Berlin is satisfied with everything the ruling coalition in Kosovo is doing.

Otherwise, Germany's new government has written in its programme that visa liberalisation for Kosovo should happen as soon as possible.