Von Cramon: Kosovo must remain multiethnic; it cannot exist without the Serbs

European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, expressed reservations in the "Slobodno srpski" show regarding Kosovo's possible accession to the Council of Europe in the near future, as well as that Kosovo must remain multiethnic and could not exist without the Serbs.

„There are certain principles in the Council of Europe, and what I have read from legal analyses so far is that in theory, on paper, the legal framework is there, so what the Constitution provides is not bad, but the implementation and realization of the constitutional framework are delayed. For example, with the case of the Decani Monastery, which has not been implemented for years, and the lack of political will to move forward with it, even opposing Council of Europe members by saying that this Government will not do it, does not make it easier for Council of Europe members to proceed with the application. This is just one case, but it should not be underestimated because freedom of religion and decisions of the Constitutional Court are taken very seriously by the Council of Europe. I think this is something that can be easily corrected if the Government has the political will to finally come up with a proposal on how to do it," Von Cramon said.

She warns that this is an election year in the European Union and that it is necessary to urgently address accumulated problems, especially regarding the normalization of relations between Pristina and Belgrade.

"I think the Franco-German proposal to reach any kind of agreement is a good proposal, and I hoped it would be the basis for a quick implementation, and that the annex would also allow each side to implement its part as quickly as possible because of what I said, urgency, due to the elections in Washington and Brussels. So, I don't see the will for implementation here, but the will to wait until the other side takes the first steps. I don't think that's very useful," she added.

She considers that the measures imposed by the EU on Kosovo due to the way the crisis in northern Kosovo is being resolved are strict, justified, but in a way unfair.

"In comparison to how they work with Belgrade, it seems very unfair, unjustified for many people here. I think at one point, at the end of May, when things escalated, all European partners were desperate to have anything that shows Kosovo - you cannot handle the situation the way you handled it, and you have to keep promises. What I understood from people who were very closely involved, there was great disappointment in how the Prime Minister and the Government dealt with this crisis at the end of May. It was not caused by foreign causes but was mostly caused by local mismanagement. Armored vehicles in front of municipal buildings, residential buildings, kindergartens, so when I was there, talking to people, I was very confused and irritated by these strict measures," Von Cramon criticized.

According to her, the Kosovo Government should show that it is genuinely interested in reaching out to the Serbs, regardless of whether they live in the north, south, or elsewhere.

"I think it is in our interest to have and remain in a multi-ethnic society and that every citizen has the right, the same right, equal rights for everything, language, education, health care, passports, etc. So, for me, this is a principle, and then we should also see in the north for people who live there, that politicians work on their behalf, in their interest. What we have seen in the past was sometimes difficult, you had one Serb List, but not everyone agreed with that. Therefore, what we need here is more diversity, we need more offers from citizens to become politicians, we need more parties, we need more pluralism here so that people can also decide if one party like the Serb List decides to withdraw from institutions, but maybe others disagree with that, that you also have competition between these politicians here, and I definitely see progress here. I see some people who appear and say this is our future, our country, we care about it, and we would like to take responsibility. I offer my work, my skills, my knowledge, and this is what I would like to see," Von Cramon said.

In response to the host's question about whether Kosovo has truly become a multi-ethnic society and whether it is possible to exist without the Serbs, she answered negatively.

"No. That is not acceptable because when the international community supported people in Kosovo, it was clear that this state should be, become, and remain a multi-ethnic state, a democratic multi-ethnic state, and a diverse state, and that is in the Constitution, and it is an agreement with the international community, so it is in our interest to keep these criteria in place," Von Cramon said.