The leaders of 27 European Union countries are set to express deep concerns about the security situation in north Kosovo during their summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. They will call on the perpetrators of the attacks in Banjska to be swiftly brought to justice and urge Kosovo and Serbia to fulfill their obligations from the dialogue process without any delays or conditions.
These calls are expected to be included in the conclusions that the leaders will approve at this summit, and the draft of these conclusions has been provided by Radio Free Europe.
“The European Council is deeply concerned about the security situation in north Kosovo. The European Union strongly condemns the violent attacks against the Kosovo Police [that occurred] on September 24, 2023. The European Union expects the perpetrators to be apprehended and brought before justice promptly and for Serbia to fully cooperate and take all necessary steps,” the draft text of the conclusions states.
Kosovo authorities have accused Serbia of being responsible for the attack on Kosovo Police in Banjska, which took place on September 24. During the clashes that followed between the armed group and the police, three attackers were also killed.
The responsibility for organizing and leading the attack was taken by Milan Radojičić, the former deputy chairman of the Serb List, the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo and supported by the official government of Belgrade.
In two other sections of the conclusions, it discusses the steps to reduce tensions and the fulfillment of obligations stemming from the dialogue process.
“Kosovo and Serbia must make continuous efforts to de-escalate, particularly in the organization of elections in north Kosovo as soon as possible, with the active participation of Kosovo Serbs. Failure to de-escalate [the situation] will have consequences,” the text mentions.
“The European Council expresses regret over the lack of implementation by both parties of the Agreement on the path to normalization and its annex, as well as other agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue, led by the High Representative with the help of the special envoy,” the text further elaborates.
“We invite Kosovo and Serbia to implement them without delay and without preconditions. This includes the establishment of the Community/Association of Serb-majority municipalities,” the draft conclusions of the European Council recommend.
“Normalization of relations is a fundamental condition for the European path of both parties, and they both risk missing a significant opportunity in the absence of progress,” concludes the section on Kosovo-Serbia relations.
This draft may undergo changes by the time of the EU summit, depending on the expected developments in the ongoing dialogue.
This week is considered a pivotal moment for Kosovo and Serbia to take a critical step in the dialogue process for the normalization of relations.
This includes accepting some requests and proposals presented to them by five senior Western envoys on Saturday.
These envoys have called upon Pristina and Belgrade to normalize relations and fully implement the Agreement on the path to normalization.
