The European Union’s Special Envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák, held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade.

During his visit to Kosovo on November 7, Lajčák engaged in discussions with representatives from the Government and the opposition regarding a new draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.

Presented as a “modern European model”, the updated proposal for the Association’s draft statute was introduced to both Kosovo and Serbia by representatives from the “Big Five” during their joint visit to the two states on October 21. The delegation included officials from the EU, the United States, Germany, France, and Italy.

In the ongoing dialogue for normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the EU, agreements on the Association were previously reached in 2013 and 2015. However, Kosovo’s Constitutional Court found that the agreement on the principles for establishing the Association was not fully in harmony with the state’s highest legal act. The Court suggested that harmonization could be achieved through sub-legal acts.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has expressed reservations about an ethnically-based Association, citing potential risks to the state’s functionality. Nevertheless, during a meeting with European leaders in Brussels on October 26, Kurti announced his acceptance of the proposed new draft statute.

While the specific content of the draft statute remains undisclosed, Kurti has indicated that it prioritizes language over the spirit of the Kosovo Constitution.

Earlier this year, Kosovo and Serbia reached an Agreement on the normalization of relations. This comprehensive agreement includes provisions for self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols. It also calls for the implementation of all previous dialogue agreements by both Pristina and Belgrade.