The majority of EU countries support the abolition of restrictive measures for Kosovo – Politics

The only difference between member states, according to RFE’s findingsrefers to whether the measures are to be lifted immediately or gradually.

On Tuesday, April 23, a meeting of the ambassadors of the EU member states was held, where the possibility of canceling the measures was discussed in light of the vote for the impeachment of mayors in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, which was held on Sunday, April 21.

The EU special representative for dialogue also presented a report at the meeting Miroslav Lajčak.

According to sources who are aware of the content of the discussion, the representatives of many member states who spoke during the discussion expressed their desire to better balance the position of the EU towards Kosovo and Serbia and advocated the abolition of restrictive measures for Kosovo.

According to these sources, a group of countries, including Germany, Italy and France, supported the gradual abolition of measures against Kosovo, if the authorities in Pristina continue to show efforts to de-escalate the situation, while another group of EU countries, however, requested at the meeting an immediate abolition measure.

After the discussion, the ambassadors of EU member states invited EU High Representative Giuseppe Borelj to prepare a report to the EU Council on Kosovo’s progress in implementing existing EU requirements.

The representatives of the EU countries will then return to the issue of the possible cancellation of measures for Kosovo.

The Union introduced measures towards Kosovo in June 2023, after the violence at the end of May in the north of that country, when the elected mayors of Albanian nationality entered the municipal buildings and took office.