Brussels, le 13/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Petrit Selimi, Kosovo's deputy minister for foreign affairs, has said that he is optimistic about Kosovo's future in the European Union. However, he added that his country “expected many more efforts” from Serbia. “Around the table, we need to be on an equal footing”, adding that this would not be possible if, for example, Belgrade “did not even recognise the airspace” of Pristina. These declarations came on the eve of the visit of the new new Serbian President, Tomislav Nikolic, to Brussels. Selimi was received by the European Policy Centre.
Ruud van Enk, the deputy head of the Kosovo unit of DG Enlargement of the Commission, acknowledged that arbitrating dialogue between the two States was a delicate matter, whereas the European Union was itself “divided over the issue of Kosovo”. Five States do not recognise its independence, proclaimed in 2008.
Robert Cooper, the adviser at the European External Action Service, reiterated the European Union's commitment to Kosovo, even if certain States do not recognise it, which appears to be a preliminary phase to any accession.
Selimi went on to state that Kosovo was seen by the European Commission as a potential candidate and that if Serbia itself had a vocation to join the Union, it would have to fulfil the Copenhagen criteria, which include the principle of good neighbourhood.
Mr van Enk for his part welcomed the assistance work carried out by the European Union since 2008: “the Commission has made many proposals for Kosovo. Some initiatives are still in progress, such as the dialogue on visa liberalisation, for which the roadmap will be presented on Thursday 14 June.” This would seem to indicate that Pristina is coming closer to its European objective.
Jordi Vaquer i Fanès, the director of Cidob, an international relations analysis centre based in Barcelona, ruled out the possibility that just one of the two States would join the Union, explaining that the future of the two was linked.
Cooper urged Kosovo to make itself “irresistible”. Selimi replied that his country's objective was not to be more attractive, but to allow its citizens “to have normality in their lives”. “We are a young republic, our economy is doing well … and now we want to know where our place is under the European sun”, he said. (EL/transl.fl)