The European External Action Service spokeswoman expressed the EU's concern on Friday 14 December after a law was passed in the Kosovo Parliament to transform the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a real army, bypassing the need to change the Constitution and without the support of the Serb minority.
“Like NATO, the European Union continues to share the view that the mandate of the KSF should only be changed through an inclusive and gradual process in accordance with Kosovo Constitution,” she said in a statement.
Kosovo must continue to uphold its obligations under to the First Agreement concluded in Brussels in April 2013 and its security arrangements, the spokesperson warned, while a Stabilisation and Association Council between the EU and Kosovo is scheduled for Monday 17 December.
For its part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recalled that with the change of mandate of the KSF, the North Atlantic Council will have to "review the level of NATO's engagement" with this Force (see EUROPE 12153).
“While the transition of the Kosovo Security Force falls in principle under Kosovo's jurisdiction, we have made it clear that this decision is inappropriate,” he warned in a statement.
Mr Stoltenberg added that all parties must ensure that the decision of the Kosovar Parliament does not increase tensions in the region. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)