Antonijevic: Proposals of the European Commission are in the interest of Serbia and the people in Kosovo

In the region, there are many unresolved issues and security risks, so it is necessary to consider the proposal of the European Commission and everything related to Chapter 35 as things that are in the interest of Serbia and perhaps even more so for the people who still live in Kosovo", legal expert Milan Antonijevic says for Kosovo Online.

Antonijevic emphasizes the importance of finding a way to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina as soon as possible because daily incidents pose a hindrance to the Serbian community that has chosen to live in Kosovo.

Commenting on media reports that Kosovo's accession could be a condition for Serbia's entry into the EU, Antonijevic assesses that this is a period that is seven or eight years away.

"I hope that by then, relations and life in our region will be without any disruptions, without security risks. The expectation for Serbia to recognize Kosovo in a clear way is something that should be in the public discourse; we should discuss it. There are institutions that should deal with it—primarily the National Assembly and the Government, as well as the President who, together with his team, negotiates the normalization of relations", Antonijevic says, and adds that he does not expect such a debate to be on the agenda soon but believes it should not in any way hinder European integration.

"But at some point, we as a people, as a society, and as a state, must ask what guarantees long-term peace, what is in the interest of the survival and persistence of the Serbian community in Kosovo. Does the current vacuum in which the Serbian community in Kosovo lives contribute to making their lives quality, allowing them to develop economically and in every other way, or are we witnessing something that is a quiet and slow exodus, the departure of families from Kosovo one by one? I truly believe that this is not something behind which Serbia can stand in any way and at any time", Antonijevic assessed.