The European Union’s special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčák, met representatives of the Serbian and Kosovar governments in Brussels on Thursday 16 November to try to make progress on the issue of the association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo (see EUROPE 13293/21).
“After over 5 hours of discussions [...], we return with the conviction that, through dialogue and compromise solutions, we can make progress in normalising relations between Belgrade and Pristina”, said the head of the Serbian office for Kosovo, Petar Petković, at the end of the meeting.
Most of the discussions at these separate meetings focused on the Commission’s latest proposal for the establishment of the association of Kosovo Serb municipalities published online by the former head of Kosovar intelligence (see EUROPE 13291/4).
Belgrade has made this a sine qua non condition for progress on normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo.
For his part, the chief negotiator for Pristina - and Deputy Prime Minister - Besnik Bislimi, felt that the document presented by the Commission “pays particular attention to Kosovo’s constitutional provisions”. However, he added, it would ultimately be up to the Kosovan Constitutional Court to validate, or not, the project’s compliance with the country’s Constitution.
Mr Bislimi also made it clear that, while the proposal seemed balanced, he expected Serbia to make a formal commitment. “Without a signature, Kosovo cannot begin to implement the draft statutes of the Union, because we need guarantees that we have a valid agreement which then creates obligations for the other party as well”, he summarised. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)