Schlee: The draft of the Statute of the CSM is only the beginning and does not represent the final proposal

The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) presented today in Pristina the proposal for the Statute of the CSM, which, as stated, had been done in cooperation with the European Institute for Peace.

The representative of FES for North Macedonia and Kosovo, Rene Schlee, said that the proposal for the statute of the CSM had been drafted to strengthen Kosovo.

"Our goal is to contribute to Kosovo's European path. The CSM is a demanding issue. This draft is only the beginning and does not represent the final proposal. This publication should be seen as a starting point for a discussion on this issue, this is only the beginning. As a foundation, we support dialogue and the normalization of relations. The goal is also to start a discussion because to date no one has presented the statute on the CSM. The community of Serb-majority Municipalities must be in accordance with the Brussels Agreement. We are grateful to our partners," Schlee said.

The senior manager of the European Neighborhood Program, Susanne Gentz, said that the process had so far been accompanied by cooperation with experts.

"This work is in accordance with all existing contracts. In cooperation with the foundation, we had the opportunity to see the principles of how to proceed. We hope that it reflects what is potentially applicable. We hope to further improve the situation," Gentz said.

Project coordinator Egzon Osmanaj said that one of the key points of the process was the 2013 agreement.

"We wanted to be transparent and open. The terminology used is based on the Constitution of Kosovo and its legal framework. In order to be more inclusive, we organized a series of workshops where we spoke with experts, academics, and all discussions were as inclusive as we had opportunities," Osmanaj said.

In the first chapter of the document entitled "Community of municipalities in the Republic of Kosovo in which the majority community is Kosovo Serbs" in Article 1, item 2, it is stated that "The Statute is adopted by the founding assembly of the Association/Community formed by the councilors with voting rights of the municipal assemblies of the participating municipalities in accordance with the Law on Ratification of the First Agreement and the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo".

"The Statute will be adopted by a legal act of the Government of Kosovo and will have the force of a Government decree in accordance with the legal system of Kosovo after consideration by the Constitutional Court. The Association/Community will be a legal entity established in accordance with the Constitution and the legal system of Kosovo. It is further emphasized that the Association/Community would have its official symbols, including the coat of arms and the flag, which would be designed by the Management Board of the Association/Community in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the Law on Local Government," the document states, among other things.