Analyst: Developments about Council of Europe risk lowering Kosovo's European integration pace

Former Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission Pierre Mirel, in an interview with the Voice of America, said Kosovo's lack of readiness to take steps towards establishing the Association of Serb-run municipalities, questions its credibility with international partners.

Failure to take steps to establish the Association left Kosovo out of the agenda at the Council of Europe's foreign ministers' meeting Friday, though approaching this organisation was seen as an important step for Kosovo, which is the last in the region in integration processes.

“I think it wasn't wise action, it's not a positive development. This may give some member states the feeling that after the demand expressed for years and years to join the Council of Europe, Kosovo is suddenly unable to hand over a project, so not the final text, but a project to the Constitutional Court. So some partners may wonder if they can trust anymore. That's why I think this is not positive”, he said.

In April, Kosovo received the green light from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to join the mechanism, but a part of member states reiterated that the condition for Kosovo's progress is to take steps for association.

There were several member states that had other views and that thought that order Association could be founded after membership, but at least show us your goodwill by submitting the proposal to the Constitutional Court. This is a sign of goodwill because for the Council of Europe a very important issue is the treatment of minorities in any country”, says Mr. Mirel.

The Kosovo government sent a letter to the Council of Europe on Wednesday with a pledge to draft a charter of the Association of Serb majority municipalities and to send it to the Constitutional Court by the end of May, though earlier the leading European leaders had made it clear that such an opportunity is not the appropriate “as, nor the applicable”.

Mr. Mirel says the draft European proposal that was handed over to Kosovo and Serbia last year is standing at the table now and several months, stressing there was ample opportunity to discuss if there was any part of the content that is not satisfactory.

But that didn't happen, while the whole draft proposal is not sent to the court and sent a letter, this is actually confused”, he says.

Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dublin in Ireland, Gezim Visoka, told the Voice of America that new conditions have been expected and heavy on Kosovo's international position.

“to ensure recognition and membership in international mechanisms, Kosovo's friends have conditioned the Kosovo government to make domestic compromises. So to strengthen foreign sovereignty, Kosovo has been asked to weaken or weaken domestic sovereignty”, he says.

But Mr. Mirel estimates that Kosovo should make concessions to international pressure for its greater interest as is European integration.

The important thing is that when a country is seeking to say full sovereignty, because five countries still do not recognise Kosovo, that country must make sure that any possible element that helps exploit”, it says.

Although praising that recent developments risk lowering the pace of Kosovo's European integration, Mr. Visoka opposes what he calls culture of conditioning in diplomacy.

I don't think lasting peace can be achieved through this culture of conditioning and unilateral pressure. This will only promote populism, nationalism and irritate relations between the parties and the mediators”, he says.

Mr. Mirel says the recent European Union's interest in the integration of the Western Balkans should be exploited by the countries of the region. He expresses concern that the lack of faster progress in this process risks being a source of instability in the region, which can then be exploited by malicious foreign forces. /The Voice of America