Robert Bosch, former Dutch ambassador to Kosovo, has criticized the European Union’s response to the first-instance verdict issued by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
Bosch said the second part of the EU’s statement was understandable because, in his view, the bloc could not openly criticize a court whose establishment and mandate were accepted by Kosovo’s institutions.
However, he argued that the EU could have adopted a less positive tone in its assessment of the Specialist Chambers and its proceedings concerning the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.
Bosch also raised questions about the organizational structure of the KLA during the war, arguing that NATO forces had faced difficulties communicating with fighters on the ground because of what he described as the absence of a clear command structure.
He said this issue should be taken into consideration when assessing the judicial process and questioned the EU’s characterization of the proceedings as fair and impartial.
The EU, meanwhile, has called on all political actors in Kosovo and the wider region to exercise restraint following the verdict.
EU spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office should be allowed to carry out their mandates without interference.
The EU has also maintained that the first-instance judgment was delivered through fair, impartial and independent proceedings, while emphasizing that the convicted individuals have the right to appeal.
The comments come amid renewed debate in Kosovo and the region over the Specialist Chambers following the first-instance convictions of former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.
The verdicts remain subject to appeal, meaning the judicial process has not yet reached its final stage.
