European Union member states have agreed to extend the mandate of the EU dialogue envoy, Peter Sorensen, by two more years, following the recommendation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
Diplomatic sources in Brussels confirmed that the Danish diplomat’s mandate, initially 13 months, now extends through an additional two-year period, despite the limited progress in the normalization process between Kosovo and Serbia. The first mandate was set to expire at the end of February.
Observers note that the dialogue has seen minimal movement, limited largely to meetings at the chief negotiators’ level, while the lack of tangible progress is widely attributed to internal political developments in both Kosovo and Serbia.
Kallas has indicated that she intends to organize a leaders’ summit only when the necessary political conditions are in place, underscoring the EU’s insistence that both Kosovo and Serbia’s European integration prospects depend directly on advancing the dialogue.
Ahead of the December meeting of EU foreign ministers, member states are expected to remind both parties that continued stagnation in normalization could cost them significant strategic and economic opportunities.
Despite the absence of high-level meetings, the EU continues to demand that Kosovo and Serbia fulfill all obligations stemming from the 2023 Ohrid agreement, including implementing the commitments agreed upon by their leaders.
Analysts warn that repeated extensions without visible progress risk signaling EU tolerance for political inertia, potentially undermining the credibility of the European integration process for both countries.
