Pantic Pilja: Human rights are not respected in Kosovo, and there is no unity among the members regarding its accession to the Council of Europe

Biljana Pantic Pilja, head of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, says for Kosovo Online that it is currently difficult to predict whether Kosovo will become a full member of this organization because while there are pressures from some countries, there is also a lack of unity among the Council of Europe's members. As she adds, we should wait for the report of the rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, who visited Kosovo last week.

During her meeting with Bakoyannis, Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani suggested that since next year the Council of Europe celebrated its 75th anniversary, it would be "symbolic" for the Council of Europe to open its doors to Kosovo.

"It is difficult to predict whether this will happen. In my opinion, it would be a violation of the Statute of the PACE, and everything that the PACE actually stands for because we have never had a situation where an entity is admitted as a member state. That's the first point. Second, it is also difficult to foresee how the voting will go. A decision requires a two-thirds majority vote. I sincerely hope that the procedure will proceed as it should, but so far, we have seen that the PACE, under pressure from some countries, does not respect the procedure and the Statute. As a Serbian delegation, we have raised this issue every time it comes up for discussion", Pantic Pilja said.

She adds that regarding the respect for human rights, which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) advocates for, there is none of that in Kosovo, especially when it comes to the Serbs.

"As for the respect for human rights in so-called Kosovo, I consider it nonsense because it is clear to everyone, which the Serbian delegation regularly emphasizes, that there is no respect for human rights toward the non-Albanian population, especially towards the Serbs. Just remember the attacks on children who were carrying the Serbian Christmas tree and how many people were expelled during the Kurti regime. So, if the report is realistic about how things are really happening, I am confident it will show that there is no respect for human rights in so-called Kosovo, especially towards the non-Albanian population. We'll see what the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, which is responsible for monitoring compliance with certain regulations in so-called Kosovo, has to say", Pilja says.

She points out that we should wait for the report that Bakoyannis is obligated to prepare.

"We have to wait to hear Bakoyannis's opinion in December, and then the report will be completed. Pristina constantly exerts pressure. We have that constantly in PACE. They pressure certain countries, claiming that Kosovo is a democratic country, that they respect all rights and regulations, and that they should become full-fledged members. But that's where we step in and say: no, first, you are not a country, you are an entity. UN Resolution should be respected, and we emphasize that human rights are not respected. As the Serbian delegation, we will continue to fight against their admission, as we believe it is a gross violation of the Statute, which is one thing. Second, it has been shown in the Council of Europe that there is no unity on this issue, and this way the unity in the Council of Europe is further divided when it's challenging times, with conflicts over Russia and Ukraine, Palestine and Israel. It shows how much disunity there is on all issues, including the issue of the so-called Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe. Some countries have especially shown that they have double standards and do not respect the norms of international law when it comes to the admission of so-called Kosovo", Pilja emphasizes.

Regarding the procedure, our interlocutor explains that the procedure for the admission of a country to the Council of Europe has been clear until now and followed certain rules that have been strictly followed. She reminds that Kosovo applied for full membership in the Council of Europe in May 2022 and that the request has not come before the Committee of Ministers for 11 months.

"And then overnight, it appeared at that extraordinary session because some countries insisted on speeding up the admission procedure. In June of this year, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy appointed Dora Bakoyannis as the rapporteur, and she is now tasked with preparing the report, with two other committees - the Committee on Equality and the Legal Committee - will provide opinions based on Bakoyannis's report, and that is the procedural part. She will now present her brief report at the December meeting of the Political Committee, which will, of course, be debated, and after that, she is supposed to visit both Belgrade and Brussels and then prepare a report that will go to the Committee. After approval by the Committee, according to the procedure, it goes to the plenary session. As for the debate, I am sure that this report will be heavily debated at the relevant Committee; there will be amendments submitted, and I am confident that the Serbian delegation will have amendments to submit, but let's not prejudge, we don't know what Bakoyannis's report will be like", Pilja says.

She adds that when the report is adopted, it goes to the plenary, where a two-thirds majority is required for adoption.

"Two-thirds of PACE members need to support the report, and then the statutory opinion is sent to the Committee of Ministers, which decides on the admission of a country to full membership in PACE, which would not be the case here because so-called Kosovo is not a country but an entity, as we regularly emphasize", Pantic Pilja states.