8 minutes agoMajor EU dispute over lifting measures on Kosovo
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The European Union Council will be able to declare next week that it will gradually remove punitive measures against Kosovo, but parallel to the next steps Kosovo should take to reduce tensions in the north. This message would also have to be part of the conclusions of the ministers of member states that you want [...]
This order would also have to be part of the conclusions of the member states' ministers, who will meet on Tuesday, December 17th, in Brussels at the so-called European Union General Affairs Council.
But even at this point there are differences in attitudes among member states, so there will be discussions again on Sunday among ambassadors of member states.
Radio Free Europe has had access to the draft of these conclusions, where other issues related to the EU enlargement process are mentioned.
“in line with the High Representative's statement on behalf of the EU, the EU has implemented the measures towards Kosovo. The Council will gradually remove these measures, parallel to Kosovo's next steps for deployment to the north. The Council will deal with this issue”, says the latest version of the draft conclusions that would have to be adopted at the Council of General Affairs meeting Tuesday.
The previous version did not mention the removal of measures at all and was almost the same as that of last year, ignoring the fact that the High Representative had already given recommendations for the measures to be removed.
While the previous version of the draft conclusions appeared “very negative” in terms of measures towards Kosovo, the new version, some countries seem to be “te above positive”.
So it is unclear how member states will refer to these conclusions.
A few meetings of ambassadors of EU member states have shown differences in terms of measures against Kosovo. Most member states have demanded that they be removed immediately and overall. But some other countries, led by France and Italy, want the measures gradually removed.
Continued disagreements about the manner of lifting measures against Kosovo has caused them to not be completely or gradually removed.
According to Radio Free Europe's diplomatic sources within the EU, they may not be removed before the Kosovo elections, which are scheduled for February 9th of next year.
The European bloc had imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in 2023, following increasing tensions in the country's north. The EU has estimated that the Government of Kosovo has not done enough for expansion.
The two sides have later agreed to take some measures against Kosovo in exchange for lifting the measures.
Kosovo authorities say they have met all EU requirements and measures consider them unfair. /Radio Europe Free
