The European Union reminded Serbia on Wednesday that it is obligated to respect all agreements from the dialogue with Kosovo. The EU stated that Serbia has violated its commitments by approving a draft law concerning Serbian judicial jurisdiction in Kosovo and declaring Kosovo a “special social protection zone.” EU spokesperson Nabila Massralli said that Serbia’s actions are contrary to its pledges made during the dialogue with Kosovo, which is facilitated by the bloc.
Earlier this week, the Serbian government announced that it had approved the draft law aimed at organizing and defining the jurisdiction of Serbian authorities in prosecuting crimes committed in Kosovo.
“These draft laws, as published, clearly represent violations by Serbia of its obligations from the dialogue and are inconsistent with the recently expressed commitment to dialogue,” Massralli stated.
The EU reminded Serbia that it is required to respect all agreements made in the dialogue with Kosovo, which has been ongoing under EU mediation since 2011, as part of its European integration goals.
She urged Serbia to reconsider this draft law, which seeks to establish a special prosecutor’s office and a special judicial body “to prosecute all those involved in the persecution of the Serbian population” in Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, accused Serbia on Tuesday of violating agreements and infringing on Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with these draft laws. Bislimi, who is also the chief negotiator in the dialogue, stated that Serbia is “making every effort to block” the normalization of neighborly relations.
According to the Serbian government, the draft law stipulates that the High Public Prosecutor’s Office and the High Court in Belgrade will have jurisdiction in first-instance criminal cases, while the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Appeals and the Appeals Court in Belgrade will handle second-instance procedures.
