EU urged to drop Kosovo punitive measures

According to them, despite the failure of mayors in the four northern municipalities in the April 21st vote, Kosovo has met pledges in agreeing with Bratislava with the EU for the extension of the situation in the north.

Vetevendosje Movement MP Adnan Rrustemi has said that the European Union must remove punitive measures immediately and not gradually.

Kosovo has fulfilled the pledge it has made to host Bratislava in the sense of preparing the legal basis for organising the process for the removal of current mayors, on the basis of a democratic process provided by law. We have prepared administrative directives, we have organized the process, the petition is administered, but the boycott of the Serbian List as political action with Belgrade's corrections has certainly made it impossible to express the will of citizens... In relation to our international partners we have fulfilled the vows we have given and manifested seriousness over the responsibilities we have taken. The EU must remove the measures imposed on Kosovo and clarify its position on Serbia and official Belgrade”, Rrustemi has declared.

Removing EU punitive measures also requires PDK deputy Blerta Deliu-Codra, but stresses the need for the government to address EU requirements.

“We have said now and how long as the Democratic Party, but also Chairman Memli Krasniqi at his meetings in Brussels has addressed the need to lift sanctions. It is a large number of support that the EU would have to guarantee for Kosovo, while today we have a block of funds to help Kosovo in all areas. Of course we have demanded that the EU be attentive and avoid sanctions, it should be said that the government also has its responsibility to address better co-ordination with partners”, she said.

On the other hand, university professor Dorajet Imer has stated that punitive measures have been unfair and as such should be removed as soon as possible.

“Seting measures against Kosovo as a result of the deployment of mayors to the north to get out of the elections there has been a pressing and useless decision by the European Union to Kosovo, whose aim has been to punish Kosovo's decision to establish constitutional order on its entire territory. The European Union has condemned Kosovo through these sanctioning measures has only justified the improper and unfair conduct of the Serbian List, which at some given time has been unconstitutional and not legal. Kosovo institutions must see how this political structure has broken Kosovo's constitutional order to what extent. It is the last moment that the EU will reflect against these actions that they have previously taken so that Kosovo will not become a major injustice in this sensitive political process”, Imer has declared.

The European Union imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in June 2023, due to tensions in the north, which culminated in the entry of Albanian mayors into municipal facilities.

Representatives of Western states have asked Kosovo through early elections to allow the departure of those mayors, who it said did not represent the will of the residents. / KSP