Petritsch: Kosovo is testing the limits of the European Union’s patience

Former European Union Special Envoy for Kosovo, Wolfgang Petritsch, said that Kosovo does not have good relations with Brussels and that Pristina is “testing the limits of the European Union’s patience,” while the countries that have not recognized Kosovo’s independence are now even further away from doing so.

“Speaking with people from Brussels who recently attended the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Vienna, I heard that officials in Brussels are very concerned. It is evident that Kosovo is now testing the limits of the European Union’s patience. You cannot continue like this indefinitely,” he said in an interview with Klan Kosova.

Petritsch also stated that the EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo are now even less inclined to do so than before.

“The five European Union member states that do not recognize Kosovo—and I am in constant contact with officials from those countries—are now further away from recognition than they were a year or a year and a half ago. That is a bad sign for Kosovo,” he said.

The Austrian diplomat noted that the Self-Deterfmination Movement should move away from the “traditional” approach whereby the election of the president is considered the exclusive right of the winning party.

He added that greater cooperation among political parties is needed in Kosovo.

“It is a good idea to think outside the box rather than within traditional political patterns, where a single party—the winning party—has the right to choose the presidential candidate. I believe it would be beneficial to look more broadly and identify a person capable of uniting the people and accomplishing what is absolutely necessary in Kosovo: bringing people together and encouraging political parties to cooperate,” Petritsch said.

He further noted that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina remains an unresolved issue that requires progress.

“The enemy is not within the country; the challenges come from outside. As you know, the issue of the dialogue remains unresolved. I recently met with the dialogue envoy, Peter Sørensen, and he is doing an excellent job. However, he also believes that, unless there is a clear path forward—namely pragmatism and tangible progress—the situation will continue to deteriorate,” Petritsch said.