Brussels, 28/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption, by 490 votes in favour, 80 votes against and 87 abstentions, of the report by Joost Lagendijk (Greens/EFA, the Netherlands), the Parliament on Thursday gave its support to the proposal of Martti Ahtisaari on the status of Kosovo, taking the view that “sovereignty supervised by the international community is the best option to guarantee” the objectives of stability and protection for the communities of the current Serb province. The EP also supports the establishment of an ESDP mission of the EU to Kosovo, and calls for progress to be made towards a visa facilitation agreement. It also reiterates the European perspective of both Kosovo and Serbia. The EPA report takes up elements recommended by the committee on foreign affairs (EUROPE 9387), particularly calling for the final agreement on the status to include certain elements, such as access to international organisations, specific provisions on decentralisation, and international guarantees for the territorial integrity of its neighbour countries.
During the plenary debate on Wednesday evening, the MEPs lent their broad support to Mr Ahtisaari's proposals, with misgivings only when it came to taking position in favour of sovereignty under surveillance, as recommended by the special envoy of the UN. Whilst supporting the report, a number of MEPs, mainly from the PES family, stated their wish that the EP did not anticipate the UN Security Council resolution and did not opt for a formula which it was not up to it to define. Most of the MEPs agreed on the need not to postpone a decision on the status, on the central role that the EU should play in the future, or on the European perspectives of the countries of the region, although many members of the GUE/NGL group stated that they would vote against the report.
“A certain form of independence for Kosovo is absolutely inevitable, like it or not”, Mr Lagendijk started off by saying, calling on his colleagues to acknowledge this prospect in the same terms as in the Ahtisaari plan. “The EP is prepared to make the necessary budget available” to ensure future European presence, added Mr Lagendijk, once again laying emphasis on the fact that “Kosovo is a unique case”, for which we must “find unique solutions”, which cannot be transposed to the rest of the world. This is a “sui generis case, which cannot constitute a precedent for other conflicts, said Günter Gloser, who notes that “our unity is important, it is the key to success which will allow us to achieve a sustainable solution”. Mr Ahtisaari was right to take note of the breakdown of talks and to refer to the United Nations Security Council, because the negotiations have shown that a compromise was not on the cards, added the German minister for European affairs, whose words were echoed by the commissioner for enlargement. “Over 14 months of negotiations, common bases were found on many practical aspects of the compromise, but unfortunately, Belgrade and Pristina remained diametrically opposed on the essential issue of the status”, Olli Rehn pointed out. “What is at the heart of the question of Kosovo is European unity” and we must “continue to support” Mr Ahtisaari's proposal, said the commissioner, anticipating the future role of the EU on the ground. “The status cannot be implemented for free”, its cost may rise to between €1.3 and 1.5 billion, according to certain estimates, and these resources cannot come from the EU budget alone, Mr Rehn insisted, taking care not to ruffle Serbian feathers at the same time. “The EU remains firmly committed to Serbia's European perspectives”, which is “essential in order for the status procedure to be completed”. “A Serbia which has confidence in its European future will be better able to overcome its past”, he said. (ab)