Pavkovic: With the victory of right-wing parties in the European Parliament, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue takes a back seat

Researcher at the Center for European Policy Milos Pavkovic assesses that a potential victory of right-wing parties in the European Parliament elections would also mean that the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina would no longer be a priority for the EU, opening up the question of "new tensions and unilateral actions."

"If right-wing forces prevail in the victory, it could mean that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, from the EU's perspective, will take a back seat and will not be as focused as it has been so far. This then raises the issue of potential new tensions and unilateral actions that the European Union may not have the capacity, and perhaps not even the desire, to prevent or deal with more actively," Pavkovic stated for Kosovo Online.

According to him, the European Parliament elections could bring exactly this kind of surprise because the future composition of the European Parliament will also determine the selection of new leaders for the European Union.

"If there are any major surprises and changes in power relations among parties, it will definitely affect the election of the President of the European Commission and the European Council, and it will also reflect on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. How it will reflect will, of course, depend on the political parties that will have the upper hand in the European Parliament," Pavkovic said.

He explains that the strengthening of the right-wing front in the EU is indicated not only by public opinion polls but also by election results such as those of Wilders's party in the Netherlands or the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany.

Another important reason he sees is the fact that for EU member states, the European Parliament elections are still of secondary importance.

"When we consider that the European Parliament elections in member states are somehow considered secondary to national elections and that extremist parties that are not particularly popular in national elections receive much greater support than usual, we can expect major surprises in the European Parliament elections," Pavkovic emphasized.