12 minutes agoCan there be new EU measures towards Kosovo?
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)The European Union's eventual increase in punitive measures (BE) towards Kosovo would deepen injustice. Thus says the Kosovo government for Radio Free Europe, commenting on statements by European Union officials who have reiterated the stance on August 8th that measures could be reduced, could be removed, but could also be added dependingly [...]
Event entry Penalties The European Union (BE) on Kosovo would deepen injustice.
Thus says the government of Kosovo for Radio Free Europe, commenting on statements by European Union officials who have reiterated the stance on August 8th that measures could be reduced, but could also be increased depending on the steps Kosovo authorities take in trying to expand the situation in the country's north.
The measures towards Kosovo were imposed in June last year, in response to the escalation of the security situation in northern Kosovo, when Albanian leaders emerged from elections that were boycotted by local Serbs dealt with in municipalities in the north.
Such measures are still in effect.
The Kosovo government has stressed that such measures “are not solutions” and that, according to it, “koha has proved to be unfair”.
“They continue to be such as long as they are in force. Their addition would only deepen injustice”, says the Government's comment on Radio Free Europe.
The Kosovo government has expressed indignation over why the EU, according to her, “has not taken action against Serbia”, which after the attack of Serb armed groups in Zvecan Banisk, last September, “is sheltering and funding Milan Radoichi”.
Radociq had taken responsibility for Attacking Banjska in northern Kosovo in September 2023, where Kosovo Police Sergeant Africa Bulnjak was killed. In the clashes that followed with police, three armed Serbs were also killed, part of the group led by Radojic. So Radojciqi still has no indictment in Serbia, but not in Kosovo.
“The EU has only reiterated last year's” position
The European Union's diplomatic sources (BE) have told Free Europe Radio that there is no change in the European Union's approach (BE) concerning Kosovo's punitive measures.
According to them, “The EU has only reiterated the position expressed more than a year ago, when the measures they had stated were temporary.
It was then said that the measures could be reduced, could be removed, but could also be added depending on the steps Kosovo authorities take in trying to stress the situation in the country's north.
In this context, according to EU diplomatic sources, there is also the EU spokesman's statement, Peter Stano, August 8th, under which, instead of steps leading to lowering tensions, “have been undertaken much and more and unilateral steps and decisions leading to escalation<1>.
So we have measures in place and these measures can be toughed if all EU actors” are hired for such a thing, Stano said.
Stano has referred to the actions of Kosovo authorities, which on August 5th closed nine branches of Serbia's Post, after saying they acted in northern Kosovo without license. Besides the EU, the United States also criticised that decision.
Also, the international community is opposing the opening of the bridge over the Iber River, which the Government of Kosovo aims to open for vehicle flow.
The United States of QUINT U.S.A., Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy declared they did not support the opening of the bridge at this moment.
Kosovo's government, however, has stressed to Radio Free Europe that the closure of Serbia's Post branches in the north “is the issue of rule of law”, as well as the opening of the Mitrovica bridge over the Iber “River is the issue of full freedom of movement, rule of law and respect of agreements released from Brussels since 2015”, as well as the <x4contacter direct integration of our citizens”.
EU dispute over new measures towards Kosovo
Diplomatic sources in the EU say the recent actions of Kosovo authorities, which by the EU have been singled out and uncoordinated “, do not go towards imposing the situation, but may have the opposite effect”.
Given the entire situation recently created with the actions of Kosovo authorities, diplomatic sources in the EU, say the “s that have sought the removal of EU punitive measures towards Kosovo will now find it difficult to achieve that goal”.
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, in June has recommended that member states take a stance on removing measures against Kosovo.
At the time, most EU states were in favour of full removal of the measures, but some EU countries have indicated that Kosovo's “implementation of requirements has not been complete” and those states disagreed that Kosovo should remove all measures.
Disagreement of the states designated for removing measures against Kosovo has stressed as a topic of breach of confidence in the report with Kosovo authorities, which, as it said then, could take unilateral action in the country's north, even if some measures are gradually removed.
As a topic, diplomats cited warnings of opening the bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica.
Based on recent developments in northern Kosovo, diplomatic sources in the EU say countries that have called for the removal of measures towards Kosovo will now find it difficult to do so.
Some diplomats in Brussels say it is possible to think even of new actions towards Kosovo, which do not necessarily imply punitive measures. They have given no explanation as to what those actions might be.
According to these diplomats, the EU readiness for these actions will depend on events on the ground in the days ahead.
But, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels, there are states that think that the measures only towards Kosovo and no moves towards Serbia create space to consider the EU's role as not balanced.
Therefore, according to them, it is considered difficult for the EU Council to achieve reconciliation of all member states to step up measures towards Kosovo, while not having any measure towards Serbia.
However, the EU continues to expect Kosovo authorities to return to co-operation and co-ordination with partners, and before taking any action, to take into account the effect they may have on different communities in Kosovo.
What is available in the EU for massage austerity?
Demush Shasha of the Kosovo Institute for European Policy, expresses the opinion that the measures the EU has imposed on Kosovo are soft and are not of irreparable consequences.
However, according to him, although the EU has the opportunity to tighten these measures, the decision on such a thing requires consensus of all member states, which is hard to achieve.
So far, as he says, the EU has cancelled meetings of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (MSA), which has a marginal effect.
However, according to him, if a consensus on hardening the measures is reached, then the EU can make political and legal decisions that suspend the implementation of certain parts of the SAA.
For example, the EU may make a decision to have the entire MSA trade part suspended. This means that Kosovo exporters are denied all the privileges they currently enjoy during their EU export”, Shasha points out.
Also, according to him, the EU is likely to toughen Kosovo's amount of non-alterial arrangement at high-level meetings and the suspension of bilateral visits.
Despite the current move, according to him, Kosovo's top institutional leaders have participated so far in several high-level meetings, but that could change.
For example, the EU can issue the decision as of September 1st, Kosovo institutions are denied participation in all European forums. I'm talking about escalation. This could go on escalation, to the levels where we enter the range of sanctions”, Shasha points out.
He adds that, to date, EU measures in the financial field have been soft and have not produced irreversible consequences.
According to him, the EU has suspended the funds earmarked for Kosovo, but has not cancelled them.
The EU can now scale this, and from suspension of funds it could go to a fund abort. Then, the consequences are irreversible”, Shasha points out.
In this context, according to him, losses for Kosovo could range from thousands of euros to hundreds of millions of euros, depending on what message the EU wants to send to Kosovo authorities.
However, he does not believe the EU will take extreme measures, but they will be proportional in relation to bringing Kosovo authorities.
The option element to scale these measures is endless”, Shasha says.
However, according to him, the eventual tightening of measures is unlikely to occur for a short while and easily, because this could cause irreparable consequences in Kosovo reports - The EU.
He considers that the EU will also be behaving depending on the situation on the ground.
“If the EU, specifically, says "don't open the bridge (on Iber) and if Kosovo institutions open it, but during this process there is no consequences on the ground so there won't be any unrest then I don't see that the EU will take steps”, Shasha points out, adding that, in contrast, the EU will react to the created situation.
However, Shasha expresses confidence that the EU will not take serious measures towards Kosovo.
He considers that even in the past, when there were serious riots in the north of the country, which resulted in injured KFOR soldiers, EU-set measures towards Kosovo were soft.
Last May 29th, Serb protests in northern Kosovo against the deployment of Albanian mayors in the four municipalities there culminated in clashes with KFOR members.
During the clashes, 93 KFOR members were injured, some of whom had serious injuries.
