The EU has suspended high-level visits and financial support to Kosovo due to Pristinaʼs failure to achieve de-escalation in the north of the country.
This was stated by the representative of the European Commission Peter Stano.
"In view of the latest escalation that we have seen since the beginning of this month, the 27 EU member states said that they expect Kosovo and Serbia to de-escalate tensions, especially in the north of Kosovo, caused by the elections and the implementation of their results in the four municipalities," he noted.
There is no talk of sanctions yet, as the EU adopts restrictive measures based on a clear legal framework defined by member states after a long process of discussion.
The EU has warned Kosovo of consequences if de-escalation does not take place.
"Despite our appeals, the Prime Minister Kurti has not yet managed to take decisive steps towards de-escalation. His five-point plan fails to address the key points that caused the latest crisis. We expect him to take urgent and decisive steps," the representative of the European Commission stated.
Why did the clashes occur in Kosovo?
On April 23, disputed municipal elections were held in the north of Kosovo amid a Serb boycott. Serbs refused to participate in local elections, and ethnic Albanian candidates won mayoral elections in four Serb-majority municipalities. Serbs demand that the Kosovo government remove the Albanian mayors from power.
Serbs are the majority in the north of Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of Kosovoʼs total population, but northern Serbs have long demanded the implementation of a 2013 EU-brokered deal to create an association of autonomous municipalities on their territory.
- On March 18, 2023, Kosovo and Serbia agreed on a plan to normalize relations. This agreement commits Kosovo to immediately begin negotiations to grant the Serbian community in Kosovo an appropriate level of self-government. Within 30 days, Belgrade and Pristina were to establish a joint monitoring committee chaired by the EU. The parties also agreed to urgently approve the declaration of missing persons. For its part, the EU had to organize a donor conference on investment and financial assistance to Kosovo and Serbia within 150 days. However, until the parties fulfill all provisions of the agreement on the normalization of relations, no payments will be made.