Andric Rakic: Challenging task for Sorensen, difficult to revive the dialogue that is essentially in ruins

The new European mediator for dialogue, Peter Sorensen, faces a challenging task – the dialogue is in complete disarray, and it is difficult to expect that he will be able to revive it, Milica Andric Rakic, program manager at the NGO Social Initiative, tells Kosovo Online. She believes that it is much more likely that focus will shift to earlier agreements reached with the US administration during Donald Trump’s first term.

"It is hard to expect that he can change the dynamic of the dialogue. It is even hard to expect that the EU can push through certain changes in the dialogue. I assume we will see new processes and a return to agreements reached under the Trump administration rather than any progress in implementing what was agreed upon under the EU’s auspices or in signing new agreements," Andric Rakic says.

She explains that Sorensen is taking over the dialogue at an extremely difficult time when the process is "essentially in ruins."

"It has become clear that the EU lacks the political power to compel the parties to engage in constructive dialogue. Nothing is changing on a global scale that would alter this atmosphere, making this an incredibly challenging task for him," the analyst emphasizes.

Assessing Sorensen’s potential as a diplomat is difficult, but she does not expect him to achieve anything beyond what his predecessor, Miroslav Lajcak, accomplished.

She also notes that a significant obstacle is that the new European administration is currently focused on Russia and its relations with the United States.

"I don’t expect him to achieve more than what Lajcak did, and unfortunately, in the end, that wasn’t much. Again, this doesn’t depend on the individual mediator but rather on the power of the European Commission, which has so far shown little interest in the Kosovo issue. The main focus has been on Russia, and now it will likely be on relations with America as well. The European Commission and the European Parliament will have far more pressing and serious issues to deal with, and I believe the dialogue will truly be pushed into the background," Andric Rakic concludes.