Ready for Beta: Serbia will have to define a road map for the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement

Jovana Spremo from the Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (Jukom) stated today that the Republic of Serbia will have to define a road map for the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, which has become an integral part of the negotiated Chapter 35.

Spremo told the Beta agency that by accepting the Ohrid Agreement, Serbia undertook not to prevent Kosovo’s entry into international organizations, but that this was already violated in the process of Kosovo’s admission to the Council of Europe (CoE).

“When you accept something, you cannot partially accept it. Although it was not presented to the public what the acceptance of the Ohrid Agreement entails, it could be expected that the first thing would be Kosovo’s membership in the CE, as something that does not concern statehood but the rights of the people who live in that territory “, she said.

When asked by Beta whether Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accepted the Ohrid Agreement for Kosovo to become a member of UNESCO, Spremo said that Serbia undertook not to prevent Kosovo’s application in international organizations.

“Our obligation is to refrain from preventing, in fact not to lobby countries that are undecided to vote against,” she stated.

Asked whether Serbia will suffer consequences on the road to European integration if it continues to prevent Kosovo’s admission to international organizations, Spremo said that according to the new methodology, progress in the negotiation chapters will be conditioned by the provision of certain donations by the European Union (EU).

“So far, we have not seen that stick from the EU if the obligations from the negotiation chapters are not met,” Spremo said.

When asked whether Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo’s independence on the way to European integration, Spremo said “not necessarily de jure, but de facto to some extent for sure”.

“The Ohrid Agreement is another transitional agreement in the direction of reaching a legally binding agreement, which implies the achievement of a certain degree of factual normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The second Brussels Agreement from February last year provides for the establishment of good neighborly relations based on equal rights, but also on the mutual recognition of documents and symbols: passports, diplomas, license plates, customs stamps, which means that Serbia will have to recognize certain elements of Kosovo’s statehood,” said Spremo.

She added that Serbia currently has jurisdiction in Kosovo over health, education, culture and social protection in the areas where Serbs live, and that the question remains as to whether and what powers they will have if the Union of Serbian Municipalities is formed.

The ministers of foreign affairs of the member states of the European Union adopted amendments to Chapter 35 in the accession negotiations with Serbia, which refer to the fulfillment of obligations from the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo reached last year in Brussels and its implementation Annex agreed in Ohrid.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accepted with the Ohrid Agreement that Belgrade will not oppose Kosovo’s membership in international organizations and institutions and that the obligations from that agreement become an integral part of the negotiated Chapter 35.