Vukadinovic: The EU never had aerious intentions to punish Kosovo, measures will be lifted during summer

Research Associate of the Balkan Institute, Igor Vukadinovic, expects that after Josep Borrell's recommendation, the EU could formally lift the punitive measures against Kosovo this summer, but that these measures had a symbolic significance from the beginning.

"These measures were symbolic from the start. They were meant to express the temporary dissatisfaction of the European bureaucracy with Albin Kurti's behavior and were introduced for that reason. However, it is far from true that there is a serious intention by the West to undermine its policy of supporting the national interests of the Albanians and the state-building of Kosovo. This is a long-term course of the West, as well as a long-term course of friendship and favor towards the interests of Kosovo Albanians," Vukadinovic said for Kosovo Online.

Commenting on Borrell's proposal to lift the measures imposed by the EU on Kosovo, Vukadinovic assesses that these measures were never on the level of sanctions from the beginning.

"These measures were never serious; they were not real sanctions that would harm Kosovo's economy and other societal interests. Therefore, it is expected that during the summer, when public attention wanes, these measures will be formally lifted," Vukadinovic stated.

He believes that the lifting of these measures will not further disrupt the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina because status issues seem to be increasingly discussed.

He emphasizes that the biggest problem is that the issue of formal recognition is being linked to the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM).

"It seems that the main concessions have already been made, and there isn't much left to negotiate, which is why so-called status issues are being brought up more frequently: the issue of formal recognition, which is being linked to the CSM, even though that community should be a completely separate topic that the Kosovo authorities committed to in the Brussels Agreement and other agreements. Even this is now being used for blackmail and conditioning of Serbia," Vukadinovic said.