More pressure is added to Kurt's: After QUINT Austria also asks for steps to establish association to securely reach most for the KiE

In addition to the QUINT states, Kosovo is also being asked by other European Union states to take decisive steps to establish the Association of Serb Major Serb municipalities to ensure the necessary support in the Committee of Ministers for Membership in the Council of Europe.

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said Austria is one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo's independence and that they support Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.

Also, the official Vienna emphasises that it strongly encourages the Government of Kosovo to take decisive steps to establish association, safely reaching the necessary majority on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.

“Austria as one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo's independence supports Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe. We strongly encourage the Kosovo government to take decisive action in establishing ESM (the Association of Serb Majority municipalities) to safely achieve the necessary majority on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers”, have told Gazeta Express by Austria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Steps to establishing association in exchange for support for membership in the Council of Europe have also called for Germany, France and Italy. These states are demanding that the Government of Kosovo send for verification to the EU Constitutional Court, which consider it would send a strong signal of Kosovo's commitment to minority communities.

But, Prime Minister Albin Kurti is considering it an absurd condition and has said Kosovo does not accept anything like this. Kurti has even said that he will not send the EU's draft to Constitution, since the same is not a document, but only a “non-paper”, as the same was accepted or signed under the package, along with the Normalisation Agreement during December last year.

That membership in the Council of Europe is linked to association and that the US emission to the region, Gabriel Escobar, has also said. He has asked Kosovo to listen to European allies and co-operate with them.