Antonijevic: Pristina must face much stronger EU pressure for unilateral actions

Legal expert Milan Antonijevic stated that Kosovo should feel significantly stronger pressure from the countries that support it the most, and that verbal condemnations should be replaced with concrete measures ranging from conditional financial support under the Growth Plan to its EU rapprochement status.

"It seems that there is some exploitation of the temporary absence of the US administration in the coming weeks, but Kosovo should in no way receive any support. It must truly feel a stronger form of pressure. Not just verbal, not just through statements, but through measures that could target the Growth Plan and other points crucial for Kosovo’s economy, its citizens, and the advancement of their rights or any status regarding its EU integration," Antonijevic told Kosovo Online.

Antonijevic says that only clear messages to Pristina from the countries providing it with the strongest support could alter its course of unilateral actions.

"I genuinely believe that only clear messages from countries like Germany and others that provide the strongest support to Pristina could have an effect. These sharp statements and declarations, while strong, also influence public opinion in Pristina. I hope, in the long term, they will also shift Kosovo’s political landscape to understand that such unilateral measures are unacceptable and that both the EU and the US have opposed such actions from the start," Antonijevic said.

He is convinced that escalating tensions is a tactic used in Kosovo to win votes, something evident to everyone who decided to impose punitive measures on Pristina in June 2023.

"Unfortunately, it has been shown that raising tensions secures votes in Pristina. This is harmful in every way, and I believe the EU and the European Commission are aware of it, as are all who have the power to impose measures on Kosovo. However, there are limited mechanisms available. You can impose certain levels of sanctions and announce reciprocal measures, but unfortunately, Kosovo’s politics continue to fuel this," Antonijevic explained.

He believes the root cause is still the deeply strained relations between Serbs and Albanians, where pressures on Serbs in Kosovo’s public sphere translate into electoral gains.

He hopes this will soon change.

"I hope very soon because we are all bound to live in the same region, and gaining votes at the expense of someone else’s suffering is neither moral nor a quality political act in any sense," Antonijevic concluded.