“CEFTA: Have Germany's relations with Kurt cooled off?

Before becoming Kosovo prime minister, Albin Kurti seemed to have a dose of approval from the most powerful state in Europe. But, at the end of the term as head of government, in the view of policy connoisseurs, things don't look as much like before. The friendly state government through emissary statements to the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, as if it spread a cooling in relation to it.

Since late August, Sarrazin appeared often in Kosovo at official meetings. Every time he came, he left behind unpopular messages for Kosovo, which sparked suspicions that relations with Germany have cooled sharply. No less, Germany's agreement with Serbia on lithium as if it strengthened this rhetoric.

The first time he came in said that “required light compromises between Kosovo and Serbia” and, in the end, said that “s can only be expected from Germany”, but its “diplomatic work must do Kosovo” itself. And, one of the worst, was the statement given between the two, when the German emissary said that “Kosovo could be excluded from the Berlin Process”.

A week remaining until the Berlin Summit, which will be held on October 14th, the table on which Prime Minister Kurti will have to sit along with the leaders of five other Western Balkan countries.

Germany had threatened Kosovo with non-participation unless it lifts the import ban on goods from Serbia. Sarrazin had said this ban also blocked the work of the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA.

A few minutes before the Berlin Summit was launched a week after Kurti announced that security measures for Serbian goods in Merdare were changed from the <x0 limited” to the “added check-up”. This change, according to him, will be worth “until high technology scanners are secured for border control of goods.

If you don't get better results by the October 14th summit, I'm worried we won't achieve our goal...” - Sarrazin said on 29.08.2024.

The decision-making in CEFTA is blocked because the Government wants Kosovo to be represented as an independent state, not through the UN mission, UNMIK.

However, Kurti said they have expectations that even at the CEFTA summit, even at the Berlin Summit, which will be held during these days, successes like Kosovo will be achieved.

Whether relations between Kosovo and Germany have cooled on the eve of the Berlin Summit, two German policy experts express their beliefs to KALLXO.com. Both agreed there is a cold between Kosovo and Germany, but not both agreed with Sarrazzin's behaviour in Kosovo.

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Johanna Deimel, senior expert for the Western Balkans, says that Kosovo's exclusion from CEFTA and the Berlin Process would have geopolitical consequences and, above all, negative economic and social consequences for the country's citizens.

Deimel says such a thing cannot be in the interest of the Government of Kosovo.

Sarrazin's <x0). So Manuel Sarrazin's urgent appeals to Prime Minister Albin Kurti are explained, who also publicly abandons our covert tone: ”- Deimel told KALLXO.com.

CEFTA is an international project established by the European Union, aimed at facilitating the trade exchanges of Western Balkan countries. At that world, the membership agreement was signed by UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo. After independence, Kosovo institutions changed customs stamps, but even though state symbols were established, Kosovo continued to be represented by UNMIK.

Sarrazin, has shown great personal commitment to the Berlin Process and the Common Regional Market during these 10 years of the Berlin Process to achieve results that enable regional cross-border co-operation in many areas, the expert estimates.

Kosovo is really important to it (Sarazzin), as well as to the German government, and should remain part of the process in order, as Sarrazin rightly says, not to be isolated. It's about the integration of Kosovo in the best sense of the word”- she added.

Deimel says it is not only Germany that has an increasingly difficult relationship with Albin Kurti's government, adding that EU sanctions against Kosovo, which are still in effect, testify to this.

She says Germany is one of the states that would have been in favour of lifting EU measures, while other EU member states would have predicted only a gradual change.

And for another Balkan expert at the Leibnis Institute for Eastern and Southeast European Studies, Konrad Clewing, Sarrazini should not be overestimated in Kosovo.

“Manuel Sarrazin was once representative of the Green Party in Bundestag for a long time, but currently does not hold any stronger political or administrative position”- he told KALLXO.com.

Clewing said his current task is to act as a public co-ordinating voice of German Foreign Ministry policies for the Eastern Balkans.

Its “and political weight within German policies should not be overestimated, and it may be lower than for example the impact and weight of Jens Plötner, who is the relevant adviser to the foreign policy of Chancellor Scholz”- he said.

According to him, unfortunately (for Kosovo), Sarrazin's profile (and expert) in foreign policy is linked to Eastern Europe, especially to Russia, more than to Southeast Europe or the Balkans.

Despite this, his remarks certainly reflect the foreign ministry's position ideally. Currently, they show and highlight the extent of disappointment “with the Kosovo government's harsh approach to the government's many actions towards Serbia and Kosovo Serbs”- he said.

Clewing says that given the current geopolitical situation and the vulnerability of the region due to Russia's war in Ukraine, Germany tries to promote the entire Balkans and not take sides with Kosovo or any other specific government in the region.

However, according to him, Albin Kurti's tactical mistakes also contributed to a change, “which is really obvious”.

On the other hand, Deimel says that whatever it is, it is not very helpful if Kurti, without previously informing his international partners, continues with actions that exacerbate tensions in Kosovo itself and in its relations with Serbia, as was the case with the dinar and the ban on importing Serbian goods for security reasons -- as Pristina says.

She says she does not know how much Kosovo would be prepared to lift the import ban.

“However, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani handed the ball to Berlin several days ago: she explained Germany had promised to supply high-tech scanners to control trucks from Serbia. Pristina still awaits these”- she added.

Prime Minister Kurti said on October 7th, 2024 they are also waiting for the US and the European Union to provide Kosovo scanners that he himself has been told they will try to secure them.

Kosovo Customs itself is already buying scanners. We are not just telling the internationals to help us, but help us that we ourselves are spending” -- he said, adding that Kosovo's security is also for the internationals.

German Embassy spokesman in Kosovo Christian Bottcher told KALLXO.com weeks earlier that Prime Minister Kurti visited Mr. Sarrazin in Hamburg and saw those high-tech scanners at work, however, the Kosovar side was unwilling to accept this offer.

Whether the criteria required by Germany have been met, Kurti says it was in the state itself, in the Hamburg Port, respectively, and has seen statistics and mobile scanners operating.

“We need to take security measures and never [the] trade measures ... The whole government's been working on this. Of me, Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, my adviser Jeton Zulfaj has talked and negotiated with the European Union, in particular with Germany”- he said.

For these reasons, Kurti believes that changing the move will enable full success in the Berlin Process and CEFTA.

<x0 cooling point”

German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde had repeatedly insisted that the Constitutional Court's 24 hectares' act on the Decani Monastery ʹ criterion be carried out to membership in the Council of Europe.

Although the implementation of this act of decision by the Government of Kosovo began shortly before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was held, Kosovo failed to enter the Committee of Ministers agenda in May.

For expert Konrad Clewing, he believes relations between Kosovo and Germany have cooled not only from the issue of the Decani Monastery hectares, but from the approach of the current government's self-confidence to aspects of co-operation with its allies.

But true, the treatment approach (and: postponing the verdict) for the court's decision on the Decani Monastery is another important aspect of that cooling”- Clewing told KALLXO.com.

Clewing says that we should not particularly adhere to the German government to understand that the rejection of a decision on the part of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo on the part of the government is not useful to ensure more trust in the Kosovo government's stances -- “, despite the fact that previous governments had also tried to ignore the Court on this matter”

“Gauxia to say that the manner of acting so late before the possible decision on membership in the Council of Europe is certainly damaging and left suspicion of professional foreign policy management in Pristina”- he added.

On the other hand, for expert Deimel, it was unintelligible why the Kosovo government resolved the land dispute with Decanin just before the end of the dispute with the country to get the necessary two-thirds majority at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in April.

Deimel says it would have been very important for Kosovo to be admitted to the Council of Europe, but it was also clear that the Decani Monastery issue would not suffice.

For Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz's letter to the Council of Europe that a special draft ʹ will be delivered again shortly before the final vote at the Council of Europe, Deimel calls it diplomaticly unusual.

Among other things, Deimel says that the letter simply as an expression of will but had no visible positive effect.

“Of course I can understand the frustration in Kosovo that even though it officially meets all conditions for membership in the Council of Europe, the country faces additional demands. On the other hand, however, there is growing discontent in Berlin, Brussels and Washington for the fact that great pressure is always needed to move Pristina at all” - she added.

Sarrazin, at a panel of discussion organised by the German Embassy in 02.10.2024, said the decision to implement the act on the properties of the Decani Monastery was late by the Kosovo government.

The Kosovo government regarding these Sarrazin statements said they highly appreciate co-operation with our partners, as is Germany in achieving the goals.

However, they said Kosovo has fulfilled its part for membership in the Council of Europe.

“In the case of the Council of Europe membership process, we reiterate that the Republic of Kosovo has met all criteria for membership, as recorded by rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis' report recommending Kosovo's membership in this organisation” - said Government spokesman for KALLXO.com.

So Kosovo has fulfilled its “- he said.

Kryeziu said that all in the end, unofficially, Kosovo has been set a new condition, the handover of the EU's Book of Preparedness for the establishment of the Association, which has not been part of the final reporting criteria and the recommendation of the rapporteur Bakoyannis and Parliamentary Assembly for Membership.