Kosovo cannot avoid its responsibilities in the Brussels dialogue, and calling the European draft statute for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority a “non-paper” reflects a lack of respect for its commitments, said EU spokesman Peter Stano.
In October 2023, the EU presented Kosovo and Serbia with a “modern draft statute” for forming the Association, which was supported by the U.S., Germany, France, and Italy. Both Kosovo and Serbia agreed to the draft in principle during a meeting in December 2023, but Kosovo has yet to take steps toward its implementation.
Stano emphasized that calling the draft a “non-paper” undermines the EU’s invitation to proceed with the establishment of the Association without further delay. He reiterated that Kosovo must follow through on its international obligations and work within the framework of the dialogue with Serbia and the EU.
The lack of progress on the Association has been a longstanding issue, with the Kosovo government refusing to form an ethnically-based association, while Serbia insists on its creation. The EU has called for Kosovo to move forward in accordance with the agreements of 2013 and 2015, warning that further delays will hinder normalization with Serbia.
