The EU does not comment on Serbia's warnings to prevent Kosovo from joining the Council of Europe

2024-04-05 15:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The EU does not comment on Serbia's warnings to prevent Kosovo from joining

The European Union said it does not want to comment on Serbia's warnings that it will work to prevent Kosovo from joining the Council of Europe. The European bloc only reiterates its calls to both sides to urgently implement the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations a year ago.

Kosovo is waiting for the decision on eventual admission to the Council of Europe and the chances of membership have increased after the positive opinion given by the Committee for Politics and Democracy of this organization.

But the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, has called on the Serbian Government to form a special group to work on preventing membership in the Council of Europe.

Article 4 of the Agreement on the road to normalization, which Kosovo and Serbia reached in February 2023, states that "Serbia will not oppose Kosovo's membership in any international organization".

To the question of whether Serbia is violating this agreement, the achievement of which was facilitated by the EU, by opposing the admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe, the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano, gave a generalized answer.

"I don't want to comment on what was said about what President Vu?i? wants to do. I can repeat that based on the expectations of the European Union, both Serbia and Kosovo should, without further delay, start implementing the agreement they agreed to more than a year ago in Ohrid. This is of great importance. When it comes to the Council of Europe, membership issues belong to the Council of Europe," said Stano. He repeated the calls of the EU for Kosovo and Serbia to focus on the implementation of the agreement as an urgent matter and that this, according to this spokesman, is being communicated to the parties by the bloc.

"If they fail, or if they continue to fail to implement what they agreed to, there will be serious consequences. These consequences are related to their integration in the EU", said Stano.

In repeated questions about why the EU does not declare whether Serbia, with its actions against Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, is violating the agreement, Stano repeated that "the Council of Europe is a different organization from the EU".

Even when asked if they take seriously Serbia's threat that it will leave the Council of Europe if Kosovo becomes a member, this EU spokesperson has repeated that it is not up to the EU to comment on this matter.

"The Council of Europe is a completely different organization from the European Union. So this should not be confused. If a country decides to start discussions to leave the membership of the Council of Europe or to modify the membership, this is really not something for the European Union to comment on," said Stano. He added that, however, the Council of Europe is a very important organization for democracy and the protection of human rights.

Kosovo aims to become a member of the Council of Europe in the coming months, after last week, the Committee for Politics and Democracy of this organization approved the report of the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, who recommended that it has fulfilled the conditions to be became a full member of the Council of Europe.

The Parliamentary Assembly is expected to vote on Kosovo's membership in April, and if it gives the green light, then the Council of Europe's Council of Ministers must give the final word in May./ Rel