Jeremic: Kosovo is blocking its own path to CoE by failing to submit the CSM draft statute to the Constitutional Court for review

Zoran Jeremic, former ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to Germany, believes that submitting the European draft statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities to the Constitutional Court for review remains a valid precondition for Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe, and that Germany and France will maintain this position.

According to Jeremic, for the leading EU countries to give Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe a push at this point, Kosovo must first take this step, which it is clearly unable to do.

“They are still in the process of dismantling Serbian institutions and driving the Serb population out of Kosovo so that, one day, when they agree to draw up the statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities, it will either become meaningless or no longer retain its original substance. That is still a long way off, of course, and without this element, without making the existence of the Community of Serb Municipalities meaningless, they will not even submit the statute. In this way, they will block themselves for a long time,” Jeremic told Kosovo Online.

He believes that Germany and France will maintain their previous position on this issue, as it is linked to a series of other treaties and agreements that have already been reached.

“I do not believe they will make any major decisions in a different direction over such a trivial issue as the problems surrounding the Special Court and its verdicts,” Jeremic said.

In his assessment, claims that joining the Council of Europe would provide Kosovo with an exit strategy following the war crimes convictions of former KLA leaders are attempts to find alternative solutions or indirect ways forward.

“For now, there are no indications that this could succeed. There is a clear legal path for potentially challenging the verdict: an appeal is the only available way to take action at this stage. For example, if Kosovo were admitted to the Council of Europe, it could have an impact if certain citizens or institutions sought protection of their rights. However, in this case, that is clearly not possible because the court itself was established through a political decision,” Jeremic said.

He believes that Kosovo's new president would not be able to influence the acceleration of Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe either.

“I do not believe she could have any influence. This matter does not depend on the actions of Kosovo or its officials. It depends on decisions made by the major powers that set this whole process in motion. No individual, I do not know, whether the previous president was a favorite of one side or another, or took pictures with this or that person, has managed to achieve anything. This will depend on the strategic decisions of the major powers that decide whether to act or not, and a decision will be made or it will not,” Jeremic said.