Rudolph: Kosovo should take concrete steps towards establishing the CSM

German Ambassador to Pristina Rainer Rudolph has called on the Kosovo government to take concrete steps towards establishing the Community of Serb Municipalities.

"There are also concrete steps that Kosovo can take, for example, implementing the agreement on establishing a form of self-organisation for the Serbian minority. We will see how this is implemented, but it is clear that both sides have a lot of work to do," Rudolph said in an interview with Ekonomia Online.

The German ambassador stressed that the confirmation of institutions and the formation of a government with a full mandate are prerequisites for Kosovo's progress, noting that the process had moved forward very slowly in recent years.

"I think we need to see concrete steps, for example, the adoption of legal provisions that would enable the disbursement of funds from the Growth Plan for Kosovo. This is just one of the steps that need to be taken. The way forward is entirely clear. However, it is true that this process has been progressing very slowly for several years," Rudolph said.

He added that instead of debating the reasons for the delays, attention should be focused on the next steps and how the process can be moved forward. He stressed that he expects a clear commitment from Kosovo and its newly formed government.

"It is also true that the European Union needs to take certain steps, such as forwarding the membership application to the European Commission, so that the process can continue," Rudolph noted.

Speaking about relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the German diplomat said the issue was not pressure from the European Union, but rather the need for both sides to engage in the dialogue facilitated by the EU through its special representative.

"I do not think this is about pressure from the European Union, but about the need for both sides, Kosovo and Serbia, to work within this process, which the EU facilitates through its special representative. We, however, are not exerting pressure," Rudolph said.

He cited a high-level meeting between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the European Union, as one of the concrete steps towards continuing the dialogue.

"That is, of course, part of the dialogue we want to move forward. One concrete step would be, for example, holding a high-level meeting between the two sides, facilitated by the European Union. That would be a concrete step," Rudolph explained.