June 27
It has been more than twelve years since Kosovo proclaimed its independence from Serbia. Since then, the seventh and youngest state from the former Yugoslavia has sought to become a member of the international community, while Serbia campaigns for its derecognition. The two governments temporarily suspended these activities to meet at the White House today, June 27, for the resumption of talks.
Over the years, the international community has facilitated dialogue to resolve the problem. Kosovo-Serbia dispute without success or vague final objective. Negotiations were suspended in 2018 after Kosovo imposed a 100% customs duty on imported products of Serbian origin. This was a response to Serbia’s campaign to prevent Kosovo from accessing UNESCO and Interpol. The newly created mediation has two phases of dialogue: the first focused on the economy and led by the United States, and the second focused on political issues and led by the EU.
The EU has recognized Kosovo, with the exception of five member states which do not recognize it. The new EU special envoy to the Western Balkans is Miroslav Lajčak. The United States supports an independent Kosovo recognized by Serbia. Richard Grenell is President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue. Russia is pushing for a solution that must be acceptable to Belgrade and approved by the UN Security Council. He does not have a special representative. It has a veto power on which Serbia mainly relies. Kosovo itself is deeply divided over the path forward.
Grandiose headlines about secret plans, hidden agendas or behind-the-scenes negotiations refer to discussions about possible solutions. A land swap would mean that Serbia receives parts of northern Kosovo for lesser parts of southern Serbia. The extraterritorial status of the Serbian Orthodox Churches is a sine qua non condition. A supra-institutional association of Serbian-majority municipalities in Kosovo is also negotiable, although this body previously existed and was subsequently annulled by the Kosovo Constitutional Court.
The country has an asterisk in its name: Kosovo*. It is usually accompanied by a footnote stating that “this designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the International Court of Justice. Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
Serbian delegations refuse to participate in international events if the name Kosovo is written without an asterisk. The question today is whether Washington will be more successful than Brussels in resolving the unfinished business in the Western Balkans.
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