WHO is WHO - Thomas Weiss: A Strong Voice in Favor of Pristina

Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz, who could become the new rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, has, like his predecessors Viola von Cramon and Ulrike Lunacek, shown a clear bias in favor of Pristina in the past.

Firm in his stance that normalization of relations can only be achieved through mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, he does not hide his support for Pristina. At the same time, he does not hesitate to criticize others, such as Oliver Varhelyi and Miroslav Lajčák, for being biased in favor of Serbia.

On the other hand, there is hardly any statement from Waitz highlighting the difficult situation of Serbs in Kosovo.

He entered politics as an organic farmer, winning his first mandate in the European Parliament in 2017, taking over Ulrike Lunacek's seat.

After the 2019 elections, he lost his seat in the European Parliament but returned to it thanks to Brexit, as Austria gained an additional mandate.

Born in Vienna, after finishing school and traveling the world, he started farming in Leibnitz, focusing particularly on organic agriculture. Joining the Greens was a logical step for him, convinced that it was the only party interested in agriculture and organic farming.

During his engagement with the European Greens, he helped develop green parties in the Balkans.

In the last European Parliament elections, Waitz feared that the Greens would not get enough votes to retain his seat due to poor forecasts, so he announced that he would fight for preferential votes and insisted that the decision on who would enter the EP, list leader Lena Schilling or him, must be made based on personal votes received.

However, as the Greens managed to retain their two mandates despite significant losses, Waitz did not have to open an internal party front and remained in the European Parliament without having to compete with the list leader.

During his political career in the European Parliament, he continued where his predecessor, Ulrike Lunacek, left off, establishing himself as one of the main lobbyists for Kosovo.

Waitz is just one of many Austrian lobbyists for Kosovo, with his party colleague Kati Sneberger and especially Lukas Mandl from the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) standing out among them.

After the adoption of the decision on visa liberalization, Waitz said it was a day of joy for Kosovo and that this step on Pristina's path to the EU was "long overdue." He reminded that the Greens have supported Kosovo for years and will continue to provide support.

He has often criticized European officials because of Pristina. He also accused the EU envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák, of openly supporting Serbia.

For Waitz, "Lajčák has a history that does not make him the most likely candidate for impartial negotiations, as he was the foreign minister of Slovakia, a country that still has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state."

On several occasions from the parliamentary podium in the EP, he has called on Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Greece to recognize Kosovo.

"It's time for recognition; it's crucial for peace in the Western Balkans and EU enlargement," he once said.

He does not hide his understanding of Pristina's behavior, as he once stated, "The Government of Kosovo is somewhat tired of sitting at the negotiating table with a negotiator on the other side who does not even accept you as a legitimate negotiator."

Similarly, he has been at the forefront in the European Parliament when it came to criticizing Serbia.

He was among 12 MEPs who, three years ago, asked the European Commission when it would investigate reports and claims by its employees that the Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, influenced the tone of the progress reports on candidate countries, particularly favoring Serbia.

He supported the Resolution on Serbia, which called for an international investigation of the elections held on December 17 and demanded a suspension of financial aid to Serbia if Belgrade was not ready to implement electoral recommendations or if electoral fraud was proven.

After tensions in northern Kosovo, following the election of Albanian mayors in Serbian-majority areas in elections without Serbian participation, Waitz blamed the violence on Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. He even called for the European People's Party to urgently cut ties with President Vučić and for the EU to suspend accession negotiations with Serbia.