Baraliu: There is no consensus in the EU regarding the lifting of sanctions on Kosovo

Mazllum Baraliu, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pristina, believes that the European Union is still not ready to lift the sanctions imposed on Kosovo last summer, and he points out that despite some countries stating their support for lifting these measures, there must be a consensus among all countries, which is lacking.

"The Kosovo Government should not rely too much on promises from certain countries regarding the lifting of sanctions. Considering the current trends and atmosphere, unfortunately, I do not think that the sanctions will be lifted easily and quickly. It is evident that Germany and France are not prepared for it, and the United States is undecided, so out of the Quint countries, three are either against lifting sanctions or are abstaining," Baraliu states in an interview with Kosovo Online.

He emphasizes that it would be good if the sanctions were lifted because, as he puts it, they are obstacles imposed on citizens, not the government.

"If governments make mistakes, and they do, they should be made aware in some other way that they need to follow certain policies of major powers because we are very small in the Balkans, which it seems we have not understood enough, so all Balkan countries more or less behave as if they were some powers. Major powers should be careful when imposing sanctions on someone because they affect citizens, especially the poorest, not governments. Governments overcome these sanctions and do not give up on certain policies they pursue, whether they are wrong or not, that is another question. Sanctions punish citizens, and that is why careful consideration is needed," Baraliu says.