Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in session, Kosovo not on the agenda

Kosovo's request for membership in the Council of Europe was not included in the agenda adopted today at the 134th annual meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which began in Luxembourg. According to diplomatic sources, the ministers confirmed the agenda that was adopted on May 7 at the ambassadorial level, and Kosovo's request was not on it.

Kosovo's caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Monday with the ambassadors of the Quint countries and the head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, and on that occasion emphasized that Kosovo had met the legal and institutional criteria for membership.

The Quint countries, however, had previously requested that the Kosovo government submit the European draft statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities to the Constitutional Court for review as a condition for progress in the accession process.

At the end of today’s meeting in Luxembourg, Luxembourg will hand over the six-month presidency of the Committee of Ministers to Malta. The new chair, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, is expected to present his country’s priorities for the next six months.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe includes the foreign ministers of the 46 member states of the organization. Serbia is represented at today’s meeting by Foreign Minister Marko Djuric.