Members of the German Bundestag indicate, among other things, that Germany is committed to helping Kosovo secure majority support in the committee of Ministers to join the Council of Europe.
Despite the fact that on April 16 this year, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe supported Dora Bakoyannis ‘ report, which recommends Kosovo’s membership in this organization, Kosovo did not find sufficient support in the committee of Ministers.
The leading states within the Council of Europe finally demanded that the newest state in Europe take concrete steps towards the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities writes teve1
But on this road, Kosovo is not alone. German liberal MP and Rapporteur for Kosovo in the Bundestag, Thomas Hacker, says Germany is seriously working to help Kosovo secure majority support to join the Council of Europe.
“Germany is one of the countries that supports Kosovo the most. It was we who pushed Kosovo to apply to the Council of Europe, because we think Kosovo belongs there. Unfortunately, when the time came to vote, we were afraid that Kosovo did not have a majority, so we suggested that the application be postponed for another time. I guarantee you that Germany is working in this direction to help Kosovo secure a majority to join the Council,” said German MP Thomas Hacker.
The other German MP, Boris Mijatovic, is surprised that Kosovo did not find enough support last time to join the COE.
He says that when the majority support is secured, a date for Kosovo’s membership in the council will be set.
“We were surprised to see some states that were not ready at that moment to support Kosovo to join the Council of Europe. Discussions on this issue are ongoing among the member states of the Council of Europe. When the majority of the support is secured, a date will be set. I think this is an issue that needs to be taken very seriously,” Mijatovic said.
On the other hand, Serbia has actively lobbied against Kosovo in this process, thus violating the Ohrid Agreement.
Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe on 12 May 2022.
