Surlic: CSM is a reality, regardless of Pristina's refusal to take a step toward its formation

Stefan Surlic, an associate professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, believes that it is almost impossible to fully implement the "big five" plan by February next year, however, he expects that Western powers will demand at least some progress in the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities by that time.

"I think the West will demand that progress at least starts from scratch concerning the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities by February. It's possible that by then, Belgrade and Pristina will provide some comments on the statute of the CSM. In my opinion, the CSM is certainly a reality that must be realized, regardless of the fact that Pristina and Kurti have so far refused to take any steps toward its formation," Surlic said.

He suggests that, concurrently, local elections could be organized in northern Kosovo, and Serbs could return to Kosovo institutions.

As for Belgrade, he doesn't expect any significant moves until the December elections.

"It's unlikely that after the elections, Belgrade will make any moves due to the constitution of the government and procedural obstacles. If Serbia does something about the plan after the elections, it may issue a general disclaimer, as it did with the recognition of the Kosovo identity card. This means making a decision to facilitate the flow of people, goods, and capital without recognizing Kosovo's independence," Surlic explained.

He adds that the West won't press Serbia anytime soon because the Ohrid Agreement concerns the initial steps toward the formation of the CSM.

"There will definitely be a diplomatic battle in the coming period to keep the formation of the CSM a priority and to avoid a delay between the presentation of the statute and the establishment of the CSM. The problem is also the interpretation of the CSM statute. Belgrade will not accept anything less than substantive autonomy for Serbs in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo," Surlic said.

He considers Kurti's claim that the CSM would violate Kosovo's Constitution to be pure manipulation.

"Kurti wants to postpone the formation of the CSM this way. The Constitutional Court in Pristina has never said that the CSM is against the constitution, only that there are a few controversial articles. Therefore, the Constitutional Court in Pristina has never opposed the formation of the CSM," Surlic pointed out.

Regarding the fact that the "big five" is intentionally keeping the new plan secret, Surlic explains that the reason for this is the upcoming elections in Serbia.

He clarifies that they don't want this to become a topic in the election campaign.

"That's why they are maintaining more secrecy than when they were in Belgrade and Pristina in January. That's why they say that meetings and consultations are still ahead. We will see if it's a completely new plan or just a change in the sequence of moves," Surlic concluded.