Jeremic: Germany and the EU use the Brussels Agreement as it suits them

Former ambassador to Germany Zoran Jeremic stated that Germany follows EU policy in which the Brussels Agreement is “used” only in those parts that suit them. This, he emphasizes, is the reason for differing views within the German administration regarding the competencies of the Community of Serb Municipalities and the fate of Serbia’s health care and education system in Kosovo.

Jeremic notes that until the arrival of Germany’s new foreign minister Johann Wadephul, the prevailing position of former minister Annalena Baerbock was that the Community of Serb Municipalities must not become a “new Republic of Srpska in northern Kosovo.”

“Silence and, in every way, either tolerance or even encouragement of avoidance and lack of clarity on this issue prevailed. The EU also did not take a clear stance, so Germany saw no reason to advocate for the form that had been agreed to in the Brussels Agreement. This largely confirms the old thesis that both the EU and Germany use the Brussels Agreement only in those parts, and in the way, that suit them,” Jeremic told Kosovo Online.

In just five days, Germany expressed differing “tones” on the issue of Serbian institutions in health care and education in Kosovo.

On September 15, Michael Reiffenstuel, Director for the Western Balkans, Turkey, the Council of Europe and the OSCE in the German Foreign Ministry, called on Kosovo to urgently refrain from attacking health care institutions run by Serbia, describing as worrying the actions of the Kosovo authorities in raiding the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RFZO) and Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO) in North Mitrovica.

After the invasion of the Kosovo Police in the KBC and the Health Center in North Mitrovica, the outgoing German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rode, reacted to the announcement of the Serbian List and said that the integration of educational and health institutions was part of the negotiations and agreement in Brussels on the formation of the ZSO.

Jeremic says the explanation for these dissonant tones is simple and should be understood in context.

“This first interpretation, which criticized the Kosovo authorities for meddling in Serbian educational and health institutions, came from a Foreign Ministry official who is a ‘note keeper’ in that area. The other assessment, by the German ambassador in Kosovo, came from an official directly involved in the matter and who bears significant responsibility for the situation,” Jeremic emphasized.

He specifies that German ambassador Jorn Rohde is also “quite responsible for the failure to establish the CSM.”

“Despite various German pressures, his role was always, in the background, one of postponing, slowing down, or minimizing the Community of Serb Municipalities,” Jeremic said.

He believes this should logically be seen as Germany’s attempt to reduce the CSM to the smallest possible minimum, which was the stance of the German administration that appointed Rohde as ambassador in Pristina.

“At that time, the thesis was – we don’t want a CSM that would be a Republic of Srpska in Kosovo. From that thesis came this minimizing of the CSM and the ambassador’s interpretation that including Serbia’s health and educational institutions was an attempt to avoid dualism. That is not true because it had been agreed that such institutions would exist within the CSM. Since the CSM does not exist, neither do such institutions, nor a proper interpretation,” Jeremic explained.

He also sees the outgoing ambassador’s statement as “the maneuver of a man who had his fingers pretty deep in the honey jar.”

“Now, as he is leaving, he is trying to extricate himself, knowing that some of his actions will need justification,” Jeremic stressed.

He recalls that Jorn Rohde was appointed ambassador at the time when Annalena Baerbock was foreign minister and when Germany had a “completely different policy toward Kosovo.”

“Now, under the new minister (Johann Wadephul), a concept has been formulated that returns to the ‘basic postulates,’ and that is probably the reason for such different interpretations of the same issue,” the former diplomat said.

He argues that what is at play are two different conceptions of relations with Kosovo and the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue.

He explains that Ambassador Jorn Rohde “originally implemented” Annalena Baerbock’s policy, while the new German foreign minister “has not yet formulated any concept toward Kosovo, especially not a specifically German one.”

“At present, he is ‘swimming’ within a broader European concept on Kosovo, and we will see whether this develops into a distinct German position when the time comes,” Jeremic concluded.