The outgoing head of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, estimated that during his mandate a lot has been done within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, saying that progress in the dialogue requires courage, vision and political will of the leaders of both sides.
In an authorial text published on the EEAS portal, he emphasized that the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations is at the center of the EU’s involvement in the Western Balkans.
“It is necessary to unlock the European future for both parties and strengthen security and stability in the region,” he said.
Borrell emphasized that a lot has been done within the dialogue during the last years and added that the process can progress only as long as both sides are ready.
“The mediation of the EU cannot bring greater normalization than Kosovo and Serbia want. In a few months, different people will be in charge of this topic in Brussels, but the expectations of the EU and the member states will not change. “Kosovo-Serbia obligations will not disappear,” said Borrell.
As the most important achievement during the mandate, Borrell mentioned the agreement in Ohrid and the Annex for its implementation in 2023, as he added that Kosovo and Serbia bear responsibility for not fulfilling what they promised more than a year ago.
According to him, the dialogue brought improvements in the lives of citizens in Kosovo and Serbia, warning that new meetings between the parties in the dialogue process will continue.
Otherwise, Borrell will leave his position after the end of the mandate, while in his place at the summit held on Thursday in Brussels after the European Parliament elections, the names that will lead the EU for the next five years were announced. .
EU leaders elected Antonio Costa as president of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission and outgoing Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Kallas, who will serve as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy for five years, is also Estonia’s first female prime minister.
The daughter of former Estonian prime minister and EU commissioner, Siim Kallas, decided to follow in her father’s footsteps by quitting her job as a lawyer and entered the Estonian Parliament in 2011 as a member of the liberal Reform Party. She served in the EP from 2014 to 2018.
Kallas, the new high representative of the EU, is the first Eastern European politician to hold this post. She will also be the first Estonian politician to hold a senior position in the EU administration. She will also serve as Vice President of the European Commission.
