EU: The Association's statute should be discussed in dialogue

2023-09-21 15:01:54, Kosova & Bota CNA

EU: The Association's statute should be discussed in dialogue

EU flags

The European Union has reiterated its calls for Kosovo to start immediately and without delay the work on the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority. But the spokesperson of the bloc, Peter Stano, did not answer directly whether the statute of this Association should be in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.

"The issue of how to do it, in what way, how it will look, how it will operate, what the statute will be, should be discussed in dialogue", said Stano.

In 2016, the Constitutional Court found that the agreement on the establishment of the Association - which Kosovo and Serbia reached within the framework of the Brussels dialogue - was not in full harmony with the highest legal act of the state. However, the court said it could be harmonized through legislation.

The United States, but also EU countries such as Germany, have previously declared that the Association must be in accordance with the decision of the Constitution and with the letter that the high representative of the EU, Federica Mogherini, had sent to the Prime Minister of then Kosovar, Isa Mustafa, where it was said that the Association should not have executive powers.

Even the American ambassador in Pristina, Jeff Hovenier, during an interview given to Radio Free Europe on September 20, reiterated the American position that he is against an Association with executive powers, as requested by Serbia.

Stano was asked several times if the EU has the position that the Association should be in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo, but during the answer he focused more on the call for Kosovo to start work on its establishment.

"When it comes to the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, the position of the EU is very clear. It has been repeatedly repeated in several conclusions of the Foreign Ministers and finally in the declaration of the 27 member states on the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. The EU and the member countries demand that the establishment of the Association be launched without additional delays and without preconditions, and each party knows well what it must do, because it is not the first time that this issue is on the table", said Stano.

Asked if the EU continues to maintain the position expressed by the former high representative, Mogherini, on what the Association should look like, Stano said that the process of establishing the Association should start without delay and during it it will be decided that what shape will it take?

The Government of Kosovo has expressed its fear that the Association may affect the functionality of the state of Kosovo.
The EU and the USA constantly ask Kosovo to establish the Association. Ambassador Hovenier said for REL that its establishment should be among the first steps that Kosovo should undertake.

Kosovo and Serbia failed to reach any result in the last round of dialogue held on September 14.

After the meeting in Brussels, the European Union said that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was not ready to move forward, unlike the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, who "accepted their proposal" for the implementation of the Basic Agreement for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations.

The head of the EU's foreign policy, Josep Borrell, stated that Kurti insisted on formalizing, first, the de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia.

Kurti in Brussels said that "Serbia's conditionality" for the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority "has turned into the position of EU emissaries".

According to Vucic, Kurt simply "avoided the formation of the Association... this is the essence of everything"./ REL