Serbia does not implement the Ohrid Agreement: EU concerned

The letter of Serbian authorities to the European Union, that Serbia will not recognise Kosovo as required, that it does not respect its territorial integrity, as it would not agree to Kosovo's membership in the UN and its monitoring organisations, has raised concern in the EU. This is because it becomes clear that the failure to implement the Ohrid Agreement, agreed earlier this year under the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

EU response

For the European Union, the Ohrid Agreement, although not signed by the parties, it is deemed legally binding. The agreement as a whole remains legally binding, and that the parties agreed to it in Ohrid. Its implementation will be an integral part of the respective European road”, EU spokesman Peter Stano has said.

European Union officials said the <x0 dispute is mandatory in its entirety for both sides and that its implementation will be an integral part of their respective European path”. This is required by the joint statement from last weekend's EU summit with Western Balkan leaders, where “was said to be. The EU seeks good neighbourly relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “We extend the invitation to both sides to generally implement the Agreement on the road to normalisation of its reports and annexes, as well as all agreements from the past, without any new, and without preconditions”, the declaration says in the part dedicated to reports between Kosovo and Serbia.

Brnabyq: Agreement with declaration does not involve reconciliation for Kosovo's UN membership

Serbia's Prime Minister Anna Brnabiq, the EU Summit declaration, named “a political statement that is not legally binding”. The “Agreement is considered acceptable only in the context in which no de facto recognition or de jure of Kosovo is included. The agreement with the declaration does not include reconciliation for Kosovo's membership in the United Nations Organisation, the system of UN organisations and agencies, nor the so-called earthly whole of Kosovo”, said in a statement by Serbia's prime minister's office.

According to EU spokesman Stano, the agreement and annex for implementation “have legally become binding through the written communiqué of EU high representative Josep Borrell, on March 18th, 2023”.

But, according to Serbia's prime minister, Ana Brnabiq, this statement “is considered legally unobligative”, and that “does not have the weight of the international agreement, according to international law”. “Kosovo is an integral part of the Republic of Serbia, under international administration, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Brnabiq has said.

Pristina Reaction

Pristina authorities reacted after Serbia's refusal to implement the Ohrid Agreement, urging the international community, as “says, to give up Serbia's domestication policy”. “Serbia specifically expresses its refusal to implement the provisions of the Brussels and Ohrid accords. I call on the international community to acknowledge that the methods of domestication towards Serbia have failed. Now a substantial change is needed”, Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Grovall wrote on platform X.

“Serbia with this letter once again proved destructive”

But how do political analysts view Serbia's refusal to implement the Ohrid Agreement and this new development in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue mediated by the European Union. Gazmir Raci, political analyst told the DI that “Serbia with this letter once again showed destructiveness by withdrawing from what has acknowledged in the dialogue process”, and with that, éia slammed in the face, the EU all documents and nearly 15-year-old engagement in the dialogue process.

“At the last summit, it was said that all obligations derived from the dialogue will also be part of chapter 35 for Serbia on its EU path. That chapter from the beginning has been crucial to the obligations Serbia has made in relation to the normalisation of reports with Kosovo. Chapter 35 is already up-to-date with the request issued by the Franco-German plan for Kosovo's de-facto recognition by Serbia. Even the German Chancellor, President Macro and Italian Prime Minister Melon, after his recent meeting with Kurti and Vuciqi, was that Serbia now defacto must recognise Kosovo”, analyst Racci said.

Another analyst, Blerim Burjani, told DIA that over and over The EU has faced this resistant position of Serbia, but the EU's hopes and will for normalisation exceed this Serbian political stubbornness. “Therefore the repeated EU that the agreement is binding for implementation, so an inevitable task”.

According to analyst Burjani, Serbia on one side is going into dialogue, while on the other side refuses to implement the agreement with Kosovo if it is not in its interest. Therefore, the EU according to him, “should change communication mode with Serbia, must be politically energetic and insistent”. Serbia wants neutral policies on international developments and will keep Russia close to western aid or Western relations. neutral policy is the doctrine of Vucciki. I think dialogue has complicated and the pressure is easier on Kosovo than on Serbia. Serbia's recent stance poses a major problem for normalising relations, so the EU needs to think accurately about what it wants from Serbia and to yourself suggests there will be economic measures if it doesn't reflect”, Burjani says.

On 26 October of this year, Germany's leaders, Chancellor Scholz, France's President Macron, Italy's Prime Minister Mellon and European Union institutions, following separate meetings held in Brussels with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo, asked the foundation of the Association of Serb majority municipalities, while Serbia, the de facto recognition of Kosovo. This is included in the Ohrid Agreement, which according to diplomatic sources from the EU, reportedly the European Council will ask the European Commission to change the criteria for Serbia's EU membership, and that implementation of the Ohrid Agreement becomes an integral part of the 35th chapter for Serbia's membership in the European Union.