Following the publication in some media outlets in Kosovo of an alleged full draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, the European Union has swiftly denied that the actual document has been made public.
In a quote given to Euronews Albania, the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano said that, “Regarding the draft statue of the Association of Serbian Municipalities, I can only recall that a new balanced European proposal for the establishment of the Association of Municipalities was presented to relevant partners by the EUSR for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue [Miroslav Lajčák] during his visit to the region at the end of October and it was subsequently discussed with both Parties during the Leaders’ meeting in the margins of the European Council last month.”
Lajčák led a group of Western envoys in a visit to Pristina and Belgrade on October 21, presenting both Kosovo and Serbia with a draft statute for the Association. However, the specific contents of this statute have not been publicly disclosed as of yet.
Prime Minister Kurti expressed his readiness to accept and sign the draft statute for the establishment of the Association. In contrast, Serbian President Vučić has been steadfast in his stance that he will not accept any terms that imply a de facto recognition of Kosovo.
The former Inspector General of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Burim Ramadani, published over the weekend, what he called a full draft of the European Union for the Association, in the original version as well as one translated into Albanian.
He said that the draft is very broad and deep, while adding that “Kosovo must win something seriously big as a precondition for the implementation of this document”.
Spokesperson Peter Stano, however, clarified that no such document has been made public as of yet, citing ongoing discussions.
“The EU proposal has not been made public since diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We never pass on official documents that are being discussed and expect the same from the partners, as it is normal practice in international mediation to conduct the process in confidentiality. It is also our longstanding policy not to comment on alleged leaks or media reports claiming to have seen or published the document.”
Both Kosovo and Serbia are aware that implementing these agreements is crucial for their path to EU integration.
The Association agreement was initially reached in 2013, with further progress made in 2015 on its founding principles.
In 2015, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found that the agreement was not fully aligned with the country’s Constitution.
Consequently, Pristina has refused to implement the agreement, citing this constitutional conflict. On the other hand, Belgrade insists on the Association being formed in accordance with the original Brussels agreement, without making adjustments to harmonize it with Kosovo’s Constitution, as suggested by the Constitutional Court.
Kosovo and Serbia have been engaged in the EU-mediated dialogue for normalizing their relations since 2011, leading to the signing of numerous agreements.
However, not all of these agreements have been fully implemented to date.
You can read the Albanian version of the document published by Burim Ramadani here.
