Milic: EU wants to move the dialogue out of deadlock, institutional crisis in Kosovo makes that process difficult

Dimitrije Milic, Program Director of the "New Third Way" organization, stated that the visit of the European mediator in the dialogue, Peter Sorensen, to Belgrade and Pristina should not come as a surprise, as the new European administration wants to move the negotiations from a deadlock. However, he noted that the dialogue is also linked to the institutional crisis in Kosovo and additional problems the EU is facing, particularly in its relations with the United States.

"Sorensen’s visit is somewhat sudden in the short term when it comes to Pristina. But in the long term, it is not a surprise. It should actually become the norm because the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue has been stalled for quite some time. The EU’s task now is for the new Commission, with a new mandate and new political support, to try to move the dialogue out of deadlock. And it is not just about the dialogue, there is also a barrier in the form of the institutional crisis in Kosovo, which makes it difficult to establish a dialogue supported by a clear government with a clear mandate," Milic said to Kosovo Online.

According to him, future activities of the European administration will, after the stabilization of the situation in Pristina, largely focus on the Kosovo side in order to relaunch the dialogue as soon as possible.

He sees a major obstacle in the fact that there has been no significant breakthrough in recent years.

"If we generally look at the atmosphere over the past two and a half years, we can see that progress in relations has been very slow. Even when some technical progress occurs, the political relations are not at a very high level, and interethnic relations are constantly experiencing crises, especially regarding relations with Kosovo’s institutions," Milic emphasized.

He adds that the EU will also face additional challenges, either already addressed or soon to be, by the new European negotiator, particularly concerning the US approach to the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue.

"With Trump’s likely return, the US will probably revert to its assertive, individual approach to the Kosovo issue, rather than the approach of full support for European initiatives. As we saw during Donald Trump’s first term, there was more American solo action and less coordination with Brussels, with various initiatives running parallel to Brussels’. Especially now, when relations between Washington and Brussels, or Washington and Berlin, are at a much lower level compared to Trump’s first term. The EU will have a much harder task in establishing dialogue without American support, which it enjoyed during Joe Biden’s previous term, even then, despite the support, practical progress was very slow," Milic explained.