In Belgrade on Thursday 19 April, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on Serbia and Kosovo to implement the Brussels agreements. For Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić, however, his country has done its share of the work.
Speaking to press, Mogherini underlined "the need for the full implementation of all the agreements achieved". "I see this as the most credible basis for further work to be done on the new phase of the dialogue", she said, at a time when the presidents of Kosovo and Serbia could start a new phase of the dialogue to move towards a legally binding agreement.
"A lot of work is still needed, including on the establishment of the Association/Community of the Serb Majority Municipalities" by Kosovo "and also the implementation of the Energy Agreement" by Serbia, Mogherini added. She also said that the Association "is not the only part of the Agreement that has not been implemented yet". "I believe that all elements of the Agreement need to be implemented swiftly", she said.
According to Vučić, however, the Association/Community of the Municipalities is the only thing that has not been implemented in the framework of the Brussels Agreement, the rest not being included in this Agreement. The Kosovars "will never fulfil their obligations. It has never been their intention", he said. With a great deal of delay, Pristina has now begun drafting the Association statute (see EUROPE 11995).
The Serbian president said he hoped the summit in Sofia on 17 May would be the opportunity to give further momentum to the countries of the Western Balkans region so that they integrate with the EU, and he also hoped for the progress of his country in political, economic and rule of law terms. His ideas were this time shared by Mogherini, who said the summit should "give new impetus to our practical and concrete cooperation in the region and also recommit clearly, all of us, to our common work towards the European Union integration process and building even stronger cooperation and reforms for the region". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)