Todorovic: Even EU member states that recognize Kosovo have not tried to place the membership application high on the agenda

Researcher at the Center for European Policies in Belgrade, Marko Todorovic, assesses that there are several reasons why the process of obtaining EU candidate status for Kosovo is blocked, citing as the main one the fact that it was known in advance that the five states that do not recognize Kosovo’s statehood would be opposed to any progress in that process.

Todorovic notes that Article 42 of the EU Treaty states that any European state may become a member of the European Union, but that when it comes to Kosovo there is a problem of statehood because five states do not recognize it.

“On the other hand, we can say that even those states that recognize Kosovo’s independence and that are leading within the European Union, such as Germany or France, have not tried at all to place this issue high on the agenda, nor has there been any real search for a political way in which even these non-recognizing states might relent and, regardless of their national positions, not block this technical accession process,” Todorovic told Kosovo Online.

As a third reason, he cites the reversible EU measures currently in force against the Kosovo government.

“In that sense, what is now on the agenda is whether, how, and at what moment those sanctions will be lifted. That is the first step toward any potential future discussion about candidate status. And, of course, the lifting of sanctions, as well as everything that may follow in the relationship between Kosovo and the European Union, is conditioned on the normalization of relations with Belgrade. It is necessary for Kosovo to show absolute readiness to fulfill all the obligations it has undertaken in agreements arising from the dialogue with Belgrade, and one of the prerequisites in that regard is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities,” Todorovic emphasizes.

Even then, he adds, it is not entirely certain that candidate status would be easily accessible to Kosovo, given the existence of states that do not recognize Kosovo.

Asked whether pressure from EU recognizing states on the five member states that do not recognize Kosovo should be expected in the coming year in order to find some modus that would secure candidate status for Kosovo, Todorovic responds that he does not expect such a solution.

“I do not expect pressure from recognizing states toward states that do not recognize Kosovo, for the simple reason that Kosovo must first demonstrate that it meets the basic criteria, which means respect for minority rights and the fulfillment of all international legal obligations it has undertaken, primarily referring to the process of normalizing relations with Belgrade,” he says.

Explaining the procedure for applying for EU membership, Todorovic says that it is described in Article 42 of the EU Treaty, which states that any European state that meets the minimum political and economic conditions may submit an application for membership to the EU Council, or to the state holding the rotating presidency at that time.

“The Council then decides unanimously whether the issue will be considered at all, or the Council may request an opinion from the European Commission on whether that state essentially meets the minimum requirements. The European Commission then compiles a very extensive questionnaire, often containing more than several thousand questions, and based on the applicant government’s responses, the European Commission recommends to the Council whether or not to grant candidate status. The Council then again decides unanimously whether candidate status will be granted, and only then does the screening process and the opening of negotiations begin,” Todorovic emphasizes.

Although Kosovo submitted its application for EU membership three years ago, he points out, the Council has to this day never requested an opinion from the European Commission.