Analysts: The withdrawal of the police is not enough for the abolition of EU measures; quick elections in the north are also required

Kosovo did not do enough regarding the Bratislava Agreement with the European Union on steps to de-escalate the situation in the north, political analysts assessed. The Government, they point out, did not fulfill the EU's main request, which is a quick holding of elections in four northern municipalities, Ekonomia Online reports.

Analyst Arbnor Sadiku said that the EU, in addition to requesting the removal of the police from the northern municipalities, had also demanded the resignation of the mayors of those municipalities or finding a faster way to hold elections.

"We wanted to find a faster way to hold the local elections in the north of Kosovo," Sadiku said.

According to his opinion, the path chosen by the Government of Kosovo for holding the elections is a longer path, which takes time.

Speaking about the EU's punitive measures against Kosovo, he stated that it was known that the introduction of measures was very easy, but that their abolition entailed difficulties because most decisions in the EU were made based on consensus and all member countries had to be consulted.

Sadiku believes that the EU is not withdrawing its measures because the Government of Kosovo has not fulfilled its main task, which is to hold the elections.

"What we have seen is that the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Government of Kosovo have found another way, which is rather a model that continues the status quo and buys time and puts the blame on the Serbs of the north. Of course, this is an attempt to remove responsibility from us and it prevents quick elections. The Government did a part of the job by withdrawing 25 percent of the Kosovo Police forces twice, but it did not complete the main tasks, such as quickly holding the elections, and not making administrative instructions, since the law on local self-government in this matter is very clear," he said.

Political affairs expert Albinot Maloku said that the Bratislava Agreement was a political agreement that should produce political processes and effects, but that this was not happening because the Government of Kosovo was trying to include a legal aspect in this process.

"That is impossible because we are dealing with the electoral process, with a political agreement that produces similar effects of the electoral process. It is true that there were steps by the Government of Kosovo toward the fulfillment of the Bratislava Agreement and the European Union described it as a positive step, but it did not consider that it should be satisfied with that in order for the withdrawal of the measures against Kosovo to happen," he said.