Sljuka: It is unrealistic to expect the EU to increase pressure on the Kosovo Government

Aleksandar Sljuka, associate of the NGO New Social Initiative, told Kosovo Online that he is not sure how realistic the recommendations made by the International Crisis Group (ICG) in its report on Kosovo and the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue are, but he believes that the document generally reflects the real situation on the ground.

One of the ICG’s recommendations is for the EU to double its efforts to use its advantages, particularly the prospects of EU accession, to pressure Pristina to protect the Kosovo Serb minority and ensure local autonomy, including the establishment of the Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities. The report also suggests that the EU should make its financial assistance and diplomatic support to Kosovo conditional on concrete steps to strengthen Kosovo’s institutions.

Commenting on these suggestions, Sljuka says that, in principle, the EU has mechanisms it has not used so far, but it is unrealistic to expect that it will now increase pressure on the Kosovo government. The problem, he explains, is that the EU is not particularly interested in the situation in Kosovo, given that there are far greater crises around the world, and that it also lacks the power to significantly influence changes on the ground.

He reminds that the EU’s restrictive measures against Kosovo, introduced in 2023, are now being gradually lifted, and that they were never fully implemented, especially the part concerning bilateral visits by EU officials, since some meetings and visits did take place. Because of that, he says, it is hard to imagine that the EU will now intensify its efforts by introducing new or stronger restrictive measures, as there is no consensus among EU member states to do so at this time.

“The measures that involved freezing funds did not yield significant results. We still have a tense situation, numerous unresolved issues, and Serbs remain outside certain institutions. These mechanisms have not led to any major change in Kurti’s approach,” Sljuka noted.

At the same time, he points out that the EU itself does not have the kind of influence that its individual member states possess.

“Pressure is more likely to come directly from member states or other interested actors who have power, through formal or informal channels, and we will see whether that will be used. Of course, it also depends on whether we will get a new government led by Kurti or by the opposition, or whether new elections will be held. All that could change the dynamics of relations,” he said.

Speaking about how much attention ICG recommendations receive, Sljuka says that they are read by many decision-makers.

“They certainly have an influence, not on the direct creation of policies, but on the shaping of strategies and tactics. The recommendations are good in principle, but they do not mean much in practice. In such a polarized situation, it is very difficult to expect the implementation of any agreements unless both sides show genuine goodwill,” Sljuka stated.

In its report, the ICG noted that Albin Kurti has long advocated full reciprocity, that Kosovo should treat Serbia and the Serbs on its territory the same way Serbia treats Kosovo and Albanians living in Serbia, and concluded that this is “an appealing proposal that could seemingly serve as a good basis for an agreement, but one that ignores important differences.”

Sljuka, however, says that reciprocity is “the wrong perspective.”

“It is pandering to Pristina, given that it has been pushing this narrative for quite some time, that the CSM should be traded for some community of Albanian municipalities in Serbia. That is not part of the dialogue, even though it might somewhat please Pristina. It would be a concession that was never set as a basis for dialogue in the first place and would amount to granting them (Pristina) additional concessions, even though they have done nothing to protect the rights of the Serbian community. In my view, that would be the wrong approach,” Sljuka emphasized.