Measures on Kosovo depend on flow of dialogue

The punitive measures the European Union has imposed on Kosovo in July could be lifted or added, but that depends on the flow of the situation on the ground and dialogue on normalising reports with Serbia.

So EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell told Radio of Free Europe a source in Brussels, which added that on the matter of measures, EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell has discussed with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the latest round of dialogue on September 14th.

According to the source, Borrell told Kurt he was willing to recommend the removal of measures if he was to report for success at the meeting. But, the course of dialogue failed without a deal, since, as the European bloc said, Kosovo rejected an EU proposal for the normalisation agreement, so there was no movement in terms of measures.

The EU official told the REL that the measures towards Kosovo are flexible, temporary, can be removed, but also added, as the 27-member states of the bloc, which do not question the measures, have been reconciled to them.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq, in front of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in talks mediated by the two top European Union officials -- Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak -- on September 14th 2023 in Brussels.

The Kosovo government was announced for EU measures on 28 June, and they entered early July. They were decided because of the failure to meet EU and United States conditions for extending the situation to northern Kosovo. Tensions in this Serb-run populated area rose in late May.

Punishment measures include: the temporary suspension of the work of troops created under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the failure of Kosovo at high-level meetings and the suspension of bilateral visits, in addition to those focusing on addressing the crisis in northern Kosovo within the framework of EU facilitated dialogue.

Measures also include halting Kosovo funding programming 2024 (Pre-membership Instruments). Kosovo's proposals under the Investment Framework in the Western Balkans have not been submitted for review by the board 29 June and 30 June.

After the meeting under dialogue on September 14th, from the EU's high representative's statement of foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, it was evident that the facilitators of this process do not think conditions for abolishing Kosovo's punitive measures have been met. This after Borrell declared that the measures Kosovo has taken for the extension of the situation in the north, although welcomed by the bloc, are not enough and not in line with EU requirements and expectations.

Kosovo and the EU agreed in July on several steps aimed at reducing the situation in the north. Since then, Pristina has said it has reduced police presence in and around municipal buildings in northern Kosovo. Likewise, an administrative guide has been drafted allowing the removal of mayors through a petition.

These steps taken by Kosovo to the EU have been assessed as <x0 operations in the right direction”, but not enough because, according to a diplomat he talked to. REL, those “are neither immediate nor sufficient and are not entirely in line with the demands of the European bloc.

Serbia “under monitor”

After the 14 September meeting, EU special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak announced Thursday evening the ambassadors of member states to the EU's Committee for Political and Security for Talks. Although, according to diplomatic sources, the call for “to a balanced approach when measures” are questioned, Lajcak has received support for his work, and according to the same sources, “nobody has questioned the measures against Kosovo”. Ambassadors have also demanded that such measures be reviewed for Serbia because there are many states that believe Kosovo is not the only cause for tensions in the north.

Sources in the EU have said the bloc's states “are also monitoring the behaviour of Serbia” and that “the facilitators would prefer if there were no measures against either side”.

In the EU for a while, they cite Serbia's sanction as “an option”, but so far the measures are imposed only on Kosovo. Kosovo for its actions or inactions as far as the situation in the north has been publicly reproved, meanwhile, Serbia has been reproved at closed meetings, but not even publicly.

Tensions in the north of Kosovo rose in May, after the new Albanian mayors elected in April joined the polls boycotted by local Serbs entered municipal buildings with Kosovo Police assistance. The EU and the US have repeatedly called on Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions and hold new elections in four northern municipalities.

Meanwhile, during this year, Kosovo and Serbia have openly reached the Agreement towards normalisation and Annex for its implementation, but the European bloc has said its implementation has not started. The 11 provisions agreement does not include the mutual recognition for which Kosovo insists, but requires Kosovo and Serbia to accept each other's documents and symbols, including passports, diplomas and license plates. The parties also pledge to implement agreements reached earlier in the dialogue process.

After completing the recent round of high-level dialogue in Brussels, Borrell has declared that the “both sides are in serious violation of their obligations from the” dialogue agreement.

In questions about why only one side, in this case Kosovo, is facing punitive measures and Serbia is not, an EU official said the “measures are specific and have to do exclusively with steps to reduce the situation in Kosovo's north”.

Member countries are also monitoring Serbia's behaviour. Serbia has done nothing to implement its commitments by the agreement. He has been able to do many things unilaterally, such as in the knowledge of documents. There has been no move on the part of Serbia, nor the condemnation of people responsible for the violence in northern Kosovo, even though their identity is known”, said an EU official, who added that it could be long list of things Serbia has not done. However, this official said that “should first start the procedure for establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities, as it is a long process and we would then ensure that Serbia does its tasks”.

What the fate of the measures on Kosovo will be, whether they will be removed or new measures added, or whether measures will be imposed against Serbia, the decision will be made in the coming weeks after consultations between EU member states are held and after consultations between the EU and the US. / REL/