Borell: We are concerned about the lack of consultations on the CBK decision and the consequences of the dinar ban for Serbs

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that the EU was concerned about the absence of prior consultations by Pristina regarding the decision of the Central Bank to ban the dinar, as well as the consequences that this ban could have for the daily lives of Serbs in Kosovo.

"The issue of the regulation of the Kosovo Central Bank on cash operations touches upon issues that were due to be negotiated in connection with the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, such as the status and financing of Serbia-administered institutions in Kosovo and their integration into the Kosovo institutional and legal framework. The EU is concerned about the absence of prior consultations and the consequences that this decision could have on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs and other communities throughout Kosovo. This relates in particular to its impact on schools and hospitals, given the apparent absence of alternatives at this moment," Borrell stated in a written response to the European Parliament.

Borrell emphasizes that the establishment of the CSM is an obligation for Kosovo under international law, as it stems from the Brussels Agreement of 2013, which Kosovo and Serbia concluded in the EU-facilitated dialogue and which was then ratified in the Kosovo Assembly.

He reminds that the EU drafted the European Draft Statute of the CSM in consultation with international legal experts, respecting relevant dialogue agreements as well as the "Kosovo legal framework" and the "parties' red lines to the extent possible."

Borrell notes that this draft statute was presented to Albin Kurti and Aleksandar Vucic on October 21 of last year, and Kosovo informed the EU on October 26 that it would accept the proposal, on the condition that the Agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, its Annex, and the Draft Statute of the CSM were formally signed by Kurti and Vucic.

Since Serbia has ruled out any form of signing, Borrell states, Kosovo representatives have not engaged in discussions on the CSM since then.