21 minutes agoEU: Association a clear legal obligation for Kosovo
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)The formation of the Serb majority municipalities Association is “a clear legal obligation for Kosovo”, so said Foreign Affairs and EU Security Policy spokesman Peter Stano. He said the statute for establishment of association should be presented and discussed in Dialog. EU-brokered “Dialog and Kosovo application [...]
He said the statute for establishment of association should be presented and discussed in Dialog.
The EU-brokered “Dialog and Kosovo's application for membership to the Council of Europe (KE) are separate processes. However, both the EU and the EC are organisations based on respect for rule of law, human rights and protection of the rights of people belonging to national minorities. It is important to remember that the establishment of the Association/Unibility of the Serb majority municipalities, the Association, is Kosovo's incomplete obligation stemming from the 2013 Dialogue Agreement, the only Dialogue Agreement ratified by the Kosovo Parliament with 2/3 majority. Therefore, it is a clear legal obligation for Kosovo under international law and therefore an issue of rule of law, important for both organisations. We are looking forward to Kosovo's readiness to engage recently now since 2013, unfortunately, Kosovo has not taken a step towards establishing the Associations and therefore towards increased protection of human rights belonging to minorities, despite numerous opportunities to do so. At the same time, according to relevant Dialogue Agreements, the statute for the establishment of association must be presented and discussed in the dialogue. In October 2023, The EU, supported by member states and its partners, introduced a draft status reform for establishing association based on the best European models and practices, as well as on Kosovo's legal framework. In its conclusions of December 2023, the European Council welcomed Serbia and Kosovo's “preparedness to accept the draft status submitted by the EU facilitator”. This is a formal recognition of the document from the 27 EU member states”, Stano said.
The EU spokesman in an answer to RTV21 said the contents of the statute warned that it would be drafted by the Kosovo government, unknown and has not been discussed with Serbia and the EU facilitator.
Therefore, it is impossible to assess its compliance with the 2013 and 2015 Accords at this stage”, Stano said.
