Igrutinovic: It would be surprising if the EU rewrites the CSM draft statute before the Constitutional Court’s decision

Milan Igrutinovic, a research fellow at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade, stated that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani’s claim that the European draft statute for the Community of Serb Municipalities is not in line with Kosovo’s constitution carries some weight in Brussels. However, he said he would be very surprised if EU representatives were to rewrite the document before the formal process in Pristina is completed and the Constitutional Court potentially issues a negative ruling.

“It is poor diplomacy to let a single statement dictate your internal debates and to return to the drawing board just because of one remark from the president. Considering the EU’s sanction regime against Pristina, the fact that EU countries blocked Kosovo’s attempt to join the Council of Europe last year, and their apparent understanding that excessive leniency toward Pristina should be avoided, especially when it resists and opposes everything, I would be very surprised if they rewrote the draft before the formal process in Kosovo is concluded, possibly with a negative ruling from the Constitutional Court,” Igrutinovic told Kosovo Online.

He explained that Osmani’s stance on the EU’s CSM draft statute, which she expressed after meeting with EU dialogue representative Peter Sorensen, has an impact on three levels.

First, in the long term, it reflects the broader political resistance in Kosovo, across various political actors, both in government and opposition, against the very concept of the CSM, as well as against the version the EU is pushing.

"This is also a way to send an already established message and to have the president explicitly state, 'We do not want this, and don’t bring it here.' The second aspect is short-term, in the context of the expected government formation, as a means to clear the political battlefield from EU influence at this moment, as well as from the CSM issue, which may not suit any political actor right now. This would allow them more freedom to focus on forming the new government, effectively pushing the CSM topic out of Kosovo’s political agenda for at least a few months," our interlocutor explained.

Third, Igrutinovic noted, this strengthens Vjosa Osmani’s personal position, presenting her as a “defender of Kosovo’s interests” and appealing to those who believe the CSM will either never materialize or, if it does, it will be insignificant.

He added that Osmani’s criticisms will resonate to some extent in Brussels, especially given the broader diplomatic calculations involving past discussions between Belgrade and Pristina, the agenda set years ago, and the pressure on Albin Kurti to adopt the draft.

“This now depends on diplomatic skill and expectations on one side, and Serbia’s positioning on the other. If Belgrade firmly states that there will be no real and serious negotiations unless the CSM is implemented, that is one thing. But if it appears that Belgrade is more flexible and open to discussions on other topics, regardless of what happens with the CSM, then Brussels might take notice and reconsider the draft, especially since the public hasn’t even seen it yet,” Igrutinovic concluded.