EU expects Serbia, Kosovo to implement deal instead of public exchanges

BRUSSELS

Instead of public exchanges, the European Union expects Serbia and Kosovo to implement the recent deal on the normalization of relations, an EU official said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the European Commission’s daily news briefing, Peter Stano, the bloc's lead spokesperson on foreign affairs, affirmed that the EU wants Kosovo and Serbia to implement “all articles” of their agreement on the normalization of relations between the countries “rapidly, swiftly, in good faith and independently of each other.”

He asserted that “discussions about the signature are totally useless and irrelevant” as the deal was the outcome of the “highest political commitment from both sides” and the agreement is “alive” because the parties are working on it.

He also highlighted that the EU does not “see any need to engage in public exchanges about the modalities on what needs to be done or how.”

“Instead of public declarations, remarks, exchanges, and comments, the EU, the member states of the EU, and the international community expect concrete actions,” he said.

Kosovo declared independence 15 years ago but Serbia continues to regard it as its own territory.

Stano stressed that the agreement has become a “legally binding” part of the EU accession requirements of both countries.

“The way they are implementing the deal will determine how they are moving forward to fulfill the strategic priority” of EU accession that was “defined by themselves,” he added.

With the mediation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU’s special representative Miroslav Lajcak, Albanian Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksander Vucic reached a political agreement on Feb. 27 in Brussels.

The parties agreed on how to implement the deal last month in North Macedonia, but high-ranking Serbian politicians, including President Aleksander Vucic, have repeatedly ruled out officially signing the agreement.

The 11-point deal demands that the sides maintain good neighborly relations and recognize each other’s documents such as passports and license plates.

Serbia will also not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organization, it says.