Milenkovic: The Brussels Agreement gained momentum in 2013, but without the CSM, the dialogue has deteriorated

With the signing of the Brussels Agreement in 2013, momentum was created on the ground at that time, the Serbian community accepted, albeit not very willingly, integration into the Kosovo system, and that process unfolded over the years. However, what has been missing all this time is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, Marko Milenkovic from the NGO "New Social Initiative" tells Kosovo Online, on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the signing of the first Brussels Agreement.

The CSM, he adds, was supposed to provide additional mechanisms for the Serbian community regarding self-governance and the organization of health, education, and other institutions operating within the system of the Republic of Serbia. Since those mechanisms were absent, the integration process was never fully completed.

Under the influence of Pristina’s unconstructive actions, the previous government of Albin Kurti, numerous unilateral steps in recent years, and the failure to establish the CSM, Milenkovic believes there has been a breakdown of both the dialogue and the integration that followed the Brussels Agreement.

"Furthermore, the agreed-upon elements have, in a way, been contaminated by Pristina, primarily the Community of Serb Municipalities, and I think that process is irreversible. For any political option from Pristina, it will be difficult to establish the CSM, not because it is a mechanism that would take away rights from the Albanian part of society, but because the very term 'Community' has been contaminated and misused and carries many negative connotations when mentioned in Kosovo society. A similar thing has happened with the entire Serbian community. The whole narrative around Kosovo Serbs has, in a way, been tainted, with many negative reactions within Kosovo society. What’s really needed is a different approach," Milenkovic points out.

He believes the events of the past two or three years will leave consequences, as Albanians and Serbs have become distanced from functioning together within institutions.

"A change in approach is needed, first and foremost from the international community, which should more concretely influence political actors, especially those in Pristina, to change the narrative and give reconciliation a chance. Serbs should not be viewed as a tool for political manipulation, but rather there should be a constructive dialogue and approach toward including Serbs in the functioning of institutions. The concerns, demands, and fears of the Serbian community should be taken into account. If we had a different approach from the international community, I am sure a different approach would also emerge from political actors both in Pristina and in the region," Milenkovic says.