Serbia - March 2023

Following years of EU-backed negotiations that kicked off in 2011, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell announced that Kosovo and Serbia have reached an agreement on how to implement the EU-sponsored plan on the normalisation of relations. The deal signals an important shift as both countries commit to following the agreement points, which include recognition of national symbols, use of separate documents, protection of Serbian cultural sites in Kosovo and guarantees for self-management of Kosovo’s Serbian minority. Parties agreed not to impede each-other’s EU integration process or attempts to join international organizations (i.e., Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations). However, the 11-point agreement was not signed, and disagreements remain. The agreement was interpreted in distinct ways in Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the agreement is a de facto recognition of Kosovo, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has backtracked in front of domestic audiences, saying that he won’t sign anything and that Serbia’s “red lines are recognition and Kosovo’s ascension to the UN.”

Sources: European Union External Action, Al Jazeera, Emerging Europe, Euractiv (1), Euractiv (2), Reuters