Who is jeopardising the Brussels Agreement?

The Kosovo Judiciary Council, on 24 March, has suspended the chairman of the Mitrovica Foundation Court, Lilana Stevanovic.

Stevanovic's Sususion Came After Her Presence, Some Serbian commanders Kosovo Police at meeting Serbia's National Security Council held in Belgrade March 22,. This meeting was held due to the failure to hold on April 3rd of Serbia's presidential and parliamentary elections, on the part of the Kosovo government.

But Serbian President Vuciq has said Stevovic's suspension has been made at the request of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who he has accused of violating the Brussels Agreement.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that Kosovo's judicial system is independent of the Government.

I am neither president nor member of the Kosovo Judiciary Council. The judiciary is independent of the government. Perhaps in Serbia, the president rules out or dismisss judges and prosecutors. This is not the case of Kosovo or in the case of Judge Stevanoviq”, Kurti wrote on Twitter on March 25th.

Meanwhile, Serbian List Chairman Goran Rakic said 25 March that the Serbian List and Serbian staff in the Kosovo Judiciary have suspended work in Kosovo institutions until they return to their post, Lilana Stevanovic.

Maliqi: Part of Brussels Agreements Cannot Be Unreached

Kosovo political development acquaintance Agon Maliqi, simultaneously cofounder of blog “Sbonker” tells Radio Free Europe that Serbian President Vuciq's statement is primarily a rhetorical threat to the international community. The first step of materialising this threat is, according to him, “vesusion of” of Serb members in Kosovo institutions in the country's north.

A part of Brussels' agreements cannot be undone and so far implemented, for example: telephone and other codes. But what can be threatened is the merger, which are formal, of security institutions and justice. But this would open to Vucinciqi a conflict not only with Kosovo, but also with the international community”, Maliqi estimates.

Free Europe Radio has requested a comment by the Kosovo government regarding Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq's statement, which said the Brussels Agreement no longer exists. But until publishing this text, executive officials have not returned answers.

Janiq: Vucinic's actions violate Brussels Agreement

Dusan Janjaq of the Forum for Ethnic Relations in Belgrade, in a conversation with Free Europe Radio, estimates that the first comprehensive agreement in Brussels, 2013 and, as he says, 38 other agreements reached in Brussels between Kosovo and Serbia, exist and will exist as international acts. The Brussels Agreement, he says, has been ratified in the Kosovo Assembly and it has the power, even greater than the Constitution.

Janzic says Serbia has not ratified this agreement in her Parliament, but according to him, all agreements owe it.

But, the concrete cause of Belgrade's official response and Vuciqi's threats, according to Ynjiqi, has no logical basis because the Kosovo election organisation for Serbia's institutions does not exist in the Brussels Agreement.

If anyone has violated the Brussels Agreement, it is Vuciqi who has invited or accepted court heads, police representatives, to the meeting because those people, according to the Brussels Agreement, are part of Kosovo institutions. This is a violation of the Brussels Agreement at first level and this cannot be contested”, says Janjic.

Deputy Judge Stevanovic, <x0 Logic action”

Agon Maliqi estimates that the reaction of the judicial institutions in Kosovo to the presence of Mitrovica Foundation Court Chairman Lilana Stevanovic, at Serbia's National Security Council, has been logical. According to him, Vuciq regularly invites Kosovo Serb political representatives to the meeting and so far from Kosovo there has been no move or concern for them.

However, this is the participation of a court official, which is an institution independent of politics, at a political meeting in the neighbouring state. No doubt the Kosovo Judiciary Council, which formally has no connection with political institutions, is within its mandate and functions to take action against officials who participate in such political character activities. As far as I understand the developments, this seems to me as an administrative measure of the Kosovo Judiciary Council”, Maliqi emphasises.

EU responsibility?

Similar thoughts are shared by Dusan Janjiq. According to him, Kosovo's reaction is logical. But, at this point, as he says, is not the proper ground for debate with Belgrade because, in this way, both the media and Prime Minister Albin Kurti can be included in the Vuciqi propaganda game ahead of the elections.

However, according to Ynjiqi, implementing agreements reached in Brussels or violating them should also be the responsibility of the European Union.

“This is already the subject for [EU special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav] Lajcak, or the European Commission, if they care about the Brussels Agreement. So, so far, this is the biggest public blow and manifesto that there is the parallelism of institutions, because you also have the so-called mayors from the Serbian system that work. Also, you have politicians who in the Kosovo elections, according to Kosovo laws and Kosovo documents, have been elected and composed of the ruling coalition, are deputy prime ministers and ministers of the [Kosovo] government, and who suddenly manifest themselves to Belgrade”, Janjiq points out.

All these situations could influence the further development of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. According to him, the focus of Brussels diplomacy has focused on developments in Ukraine following its invasion by Russia, while EU diplomacy has avoided attention from the Western Balkans.

“This is strategic error”, concludes Janiq.

Meanwhile, Maliqi stresses that developments between Kosovo and Serbia are a message to the European Union for the instability of current security. In this context, the dialogue may, according to him, enter into a deep crisis or bring a new moment to a final solution, which could cause a escalation of the security situation.

On March 25th, local Serb citizens in northern Mitrovica and Gracanica have protested because of the Kosovo Government's decision not to hold Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections in Kosovo.

To that decision, the disappointment has been expressed by the Quint (United States, Great Britain, Italy, France and Germany).