Latinovic: EU underestimated Kurti's unpredictability, new sanctions against Kosovo should not be ruled out

Branka Latinovic, former ambassador and representative of Serbia to the OSCE, assesses for Kosovo Online that the European Union, as a mediator in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, did not adequately anticipate Kurti's unpredictability during those negotiations and that the result could be new economic measures against Kosovo.

"We should not rule out the imposition of some sanctions, but they will not solve the problem, nor will they contribute to addressing the life problems of the people living there, which is one of the main essences of life. Here, concrete and effective measures are needed primarily to overcome this situation as soon as possible," Latinovic emphasizes.

According to her, the Government of Kosovo has created a complicated situation, and the point lies in the fact that the European Union, as the main negotiator between Belgrade and Pristina, did not grasp the entire situation.

"The situation is indeed very complicated, and it must be acknowledged that the European Union itself, as a mediator in the negotiations, did not adequately anticipate the possibilities, knowing Kurti's unpredictability, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, and protective measures should have been foreseen during the negotiations, given that all of that was supposed to be under the jurisdiction of the Community of Serb Municipalities, which does not exist," Latinovic says.

Commenting on the latest statements by US and EU officials criticizing Kosovo's unilateral moves, Latinovic does not rule out the possibility that these countries could move from declarative to concrete measures.

"US Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier hinted at one of these measures in a written statement, namely, the absence of further US support regarding the regulation of Kosovo's status in international organizations or affirmation on the international stage. This potential sanctioning of the current government of Kosovo has already been hinted at. The EU could probably do the same," Latinovic says.

She reminds that it is a clear signal that the EU is reserved in its behavior toward Pristina and that the European Commission did not put the abolition of sanctions against Kosovo on the agenda.

"The fact that the European Commission did not put the abolition of sanctions, at least some of the packages of sanctions imposed on Kosovo officials and representatives of the authorities, on the agenda, indicates that they are very suspicious and reserved about how that government behaves, how its representatives behave, and that there is obviously not enough trust that they will overcome it and that it will not be repeated," Latinovic says.

According to her, it is not excluded that the European Commission will use a "new toolkit," or a new approach to disciplining disobedient states.

"Surely, financial sanctions concerning funds that should come to the region, including the region, will be revised, perhaps even suspended. This is a toolkit that the European Commission uses not only toward our region but also toward member states. Let's not forget Hungary, which had 35 billion frozen from the EU budget, 10 billion of which were unfrozen last December, but 21 billion are still pending. If you want to influence someone and if you want them to respect what they have agreed to, there are tools – this is a new approach by which the EU approaches those who do not respect what they have agreed to or accepted. In this regard, new measures against Kosovo should not be ruled out," Latinovic says.