The European Union considers organizing a new round of negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia at the chief negotiators’ level as a priority.
However, EU spokesperson Peter Stano did not provide a date for such a meeting, stating that the date will be made public at an appropriate time. The day before, the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajčak, announced that he would stay in Pristina to prepare for the new round of talks but did not provide further details.
“As usual, we announce meetings when it is appropriate. Meetings at the chief negotiators’ level are not typically announced to the media. But our goal is definitely to have a meeting at the chief negotiators’ level as soon as possible because there are a number of issues to discuss,” Stano said.
During a media conference in Brussels, Stano was asked about the closure of five Serbian parallel institutions by Kosovo last week. He reiterated the EU’s position that these actions are unilateral and uncoordinated, with potential for increasing tensions.
The United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have also criticized Kosovo’s actions in the north.
The Kosovo Government has stated that the closed institutions in northern Kosovo operated under Serbian control, undermining the constitutionality and laws of the Republic of Kosovo.
In addition to the five institutions closed last Friday, Kosovo authorities had previously shut down seven other Serbian parallel municipalities in other parts of Kosovo in April.
In Kosovo, there are municipalities, companies, public enterprises, nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and public universities that are funded directly by the Serbian Government and are located in towns and settlements where the Serbian community lives.
According to Kosovo’s laws, these institutions are illegal.
In 2013, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement in the Brussels dialogue for the dissolution of parallel institutions, but this agreement has not yet been fully implemented. / REL
