Stano for parallel structures: EU in Kosovo supports a single institutional structure under its legal framework

So said EU spokesman Peter Stano, in question of what the EU's position is regarding Serbia's structures on Kosovo territory.

“All past dialogue agreements are fully harmonised with the principle of a single institutional and administrative structure, and they follow Kosovo's legal and institutional framework, as confirmed by the conclusions of the European Council”, Stano said in response to the REL.

The issue of Serbian institutions in Kosovo was raised during the recent meeting of Kosovo and Serbia's chief negotiators in Brussels on 25 April, when the Serbian dinar issue was discussed. During the meeting, the Serbian side has demanded that all Serbian institutions, which Kosovo considers illegal, continue to be financed by Belgrade until the time the association is established.

According to Stano's clarification, the status of Serbia-backed structures is meant to be resolved under dialogue, respectively, through the establishment of association.

He called on Kosovo to move towards establishing the Association without delay in line with the draft EU-proposed draft state last year.

Kosovo and Serbia have reached two agreements for Association, in 2013 and 2015. But Kosovo has not yet taken steps towards its establishment.

The EU has also called on both sides to refrain from any unilateral action on the ground that does not contribute to creating a favourable environment for talks on normalising relations, and for Kosovo and Serbia to commit themselves to resolving all unresolved issues in the dialogue that the bloc is mediating.

At the latest meeting within the dialogue held in Brussels, the parties received from dialogue mediator Miroslav Lajcak, a compromise proposal for accessing payments from Serbia to beneficiaries on Kosovo's territory, and are expected until the next meeting, the parties will express that proposal.

Kosovo's chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, said after the meeting, that Belgrade intends to continue funding all parallel structures in Kosovo, without pointing to what they are.

He said Lajcak's proposal aims to bridge the sides' positions on the issue of financial assistance from Serbia to Serbs in Kosovo.

The Serb side's “position is that all of Serbia's illegal structures should continue to be financed, to continue to be financed until the time when the Association [of Serb majority municipalities] is established, because in their opinion, the purpose of the Association is not to ensure good co-ordination between municipalities, but to ensure the legitimacy of the presence of Serbian institutions in Kosovo, which would make them semi-Serb institutions, but not the institutions of Serbs in Kosovo”, Bislim said after the meeting in Brussels.

He added that this idea of Serbia found neither Kosovo understanding nor dialogue mediator Miroslav Lajcak.

On the other hand, in the EU they continue to distinguish between Serbia's “structures” and Serbia-backed “structures, repeating that there should be only one unique institutional structure in Kosovo. But, at the same time, financing facilities that have so far had financial support from Serbia should be enabled. From Brussels it is only required that this be secured through a short-term solution under the dialogue to overcome the obstacles that have been put forward following the Kosovo Central Bank decision, which allows only euro currency to be used for handling payments.