Gerald Knaus, of the European Initiative for Stability, said that several countries, including France and Germany, are preparing to block a vote in May on Kosovo’s admission to the Council of Europe (CoE) organization.
Through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Knaus said that a group of states is preparing to act against the recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which said that Kosovo has met the criteria to be part of the organization.
“Currently, some governments of the member states of the Council of Europe, including that of Germany and France, are preparing to block a vote in May on the admission of Kosovo, ignoring the recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly given in April,” Knaus wrote.
According to him, such a blockage comes after a campaign by the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.
“This follows a campaign by the president of Serbia, [Aleksandar] Vučić, including his personal appeal to the president [of France, Emmanuel] Macron, not to allow the vote – and a Serbian pledge to buy 12 French Rafale fighter jets.” , Knaus wrote.
On April 16, the Parliamentary Assembly voted in favor of the report recommending Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.
The matter is now in the hands of the Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe, who must finally decide whether Kosovo will become the organization’s newest member.
The next meeting of the Council of Ministers will take place in the middle of May. The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe meets once a year, traditionally in May.
The Council of Europe is an international organization for human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, founded in 1949.
The Council protects freedom of expression and media, equality and minorities in member countries.
One of the direct benefits of Kosovo’s citizens from eventual membership in the Council of Europe will be access to the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR].
During the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly, Serbia had requested that Kosovo establish the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority as a condition for membership. However, the amendment to this condition did not receive support.
