The French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, expressed his country’s support for the partial removal of the EU sanctions imposed on Kosovo. However, he clarified that this does not necessarily mean all sanctions will be lifted by the end of the year.
Guerot explained that the sanctions were a response to actions taken by the Government of Kosovo, actions that were considered poorly coordinated and unfortunate.
Partial Sanctions Removal and the Call for Early Elections
After 17 months since the sanctions were implemented, Guerot noted that some issues have either improved or changed. Despite this, he emphasized the importance of holding municipal elections in northern Kosovo as soon as possible, following the previous boycotted elections and the resignation of the mayors in four northern municipalities.
“For everyone to recall, we witnessed a mass withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from institutions, including municipalities. We believe these resignations were crucial for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as for the Serbian community in Kosovo,” Guerot said.
He pointed out that although the boycott of the elections had unfortunately resulted in a prolonged blockade, the situation was worsened by the Kosovo government’s actions in May 2023, which led to violence in Zveçan. In that incident, 90 KFOR soldiers and journalists were injured.
“These measures were imposed as a response to this action by the government, which we all, including the EU, felt was an unfortunate move,” he added.
The Need for Immediate Municipal Elections
Looking forward, Guerot stressed that the current situation had not improved following the boycott of the referendum to remove mayors from the northern municipalities. He emphasized the urgent need for fresh municipal elections, stating, “The sooner, the better.”
“We discussed over the summer whether these sanctions could be lifted. There were some uncoordinated actions that had a negative impact on the current discussions. France supports the partial removal of sanctions, and while some share this view, not everyone is on the same page. However, I cannot predict whether the discussions will bring a result by the end of the year,” he concluded.
