22 Oct 14
New momentum is needed in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue after the timeout caused by elections in both countries, a report by Kosovo and Slovak think tanks suggests.

Nektar Zogjani
BIRN
Pristina

A new joint report by two think tanks has urged the governments of Serbia and Kosovo to revitalise the stalled EU-led dialogue between the two countries.

The report is the work of the Pristina-based Democracy for Development, D4D, and its partner from Slovakia, the Central European Policy Institute, CEPI.

Milan Nic, from the Bratislava-based CEPI, said they had predicted that 2014 would be mostly wasted because of elections in Kosovo and Serbia.

"What is important is what happens after this timeout," Nic said. "It is crucial that a new momentum is restored," he added, urging Catherine Ashton's successor as EU foreign policy chief, Frederica Mogherini, not to abandon the priorities that Ashton set.

In addition to calling for a new momentum in the talks, the report recommends a number of practical steps that could contribute to a more effective role in leading the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue to the next stage.

The report highlights the importance of implementing the existing agreements, in particular on the formation of a semi-autonomous Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo.

Another is ensuring Kosovo's participation in international sports events. A third is allowing passenger planes flying to Kosovo to use Serbian airspace.

Another recommendation concerns the need for "greater clarity and a real approximation of positions" in the dialogue, to avoid the problem of each side making different interpretations of agreements.

The report further advocates a "three track approach" - namely continued dialogue between Pristina and northern Serbian municipalities; implementation of existing agreements between Kosovo and Serbia; opening up new bilateral relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo and Serbia adopted a 15-point agreement in April 2013 as part of a political dialogue undertaken between two governments led by the European Union.

Edita Tahiri, head of the Kosovo delegation in the talks between the two countries, said the dialogue had "produced important results.

"It has helped improve the life of citizens in both states, because we addressed some differences between the two states and established inter-state relations," she said on Tuesday.

Taking one example, she noted that before the Brussels agreement, "citizens of Serbia could easily came to Kosovo, but citizens of Kosovo could not go to Serbia or use Serbia as transit country".

However, progress has stalled lately. Last week, the Kosovo government presented a report to the EU on the Kosovo-Serbia agreements, accusing Belgrade of being unwilling to implement all the accords reached in Brussels.