Commissioner for European Neighbourhood policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in Pristina that continuing a dialogue with Serbia is a legal obligation.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, Johannes Hahn expressed hope that the European Parliament would soon give its agreement for recently signed Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in order to enable its enforcement as soon as possible and stressed that “based on the SAA, continuing a dialogue with Serbia is a legal obligation for Kosovo and the next focus on the path to the European Union.”
„We should focus on the SAA implementation. This agreement has a great potential, but results depend on the speed and quality of its implementation. EU will continue to have a strong role in supporting reforms in Kosovo, also through IPA funds and we are talking here about the amount of 650 million euros by 2020. We will keep supporting priorities of SAA policies, especially from the rule of law domain, public administration, but also economic development and concurrency,” Hahn stressed.
He noted that the process of visa liberalisation the most important political priority for Kosovo so the expectations have been high, but, as he added, preliminary findings showed that a visible advance has been made.
“Several remaining issues still exist, but what I have heard from our experts here seems very promising. The European Commission’s goal is to file another report to the Council, but you have to understand that such action needs more time, since the visa liberalisation process means that all 28 member states must have positive stance on the issue. I can not promise when it can come to power, but what is important is that this is the next step the European Commission will be dealing with,” Hahn said.
Addressing the deputies at the honorary session of Kosovo’s Parliament, Hahn noted that, after signing Brussels agreement, EU now expected Kosovo to implement signed agreements.
„A dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has become an integral part of Kosovo’s advance towards Europe. I appeal to everyone in Kosovo to see a dialogue not as an obstacle, but as a chance to advance the European agenda in Kosovo and promote regional connections. Kosovo will profit a lot, if not completely, from this dialogue. On the other side, it will lose a lot without a dialogue,” Commissioner Hahn said in his address to the deputies.
After the meeting with the European Commissioner, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said that Kosovo will continue a dialogue with Serbia:
„I assured Commissioner Hahn that the dialogue would continue. We consider the dialogue to be useful for normalisation of relations with Serbia. We remain committed to the implementation of the agreement reached, with respect to all necessary procedures. Also, we expect the Constitutional court decision on the agreement on formation of Association of Serb Councils.”
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
