The political paralysis which has lasted for a year in Kosovo does not seem to find a solution after the legislative elections on Sunday and when the Nationalist Self-Determination Party manages to obtain a parliamentary majority insufficient to form a government. This is not just a local issue: it has repercussions throughout the Balkan region, which Russia has historically considered one of its areas of interest at a particularly complicated time for Europe. The deep-rooted governance crisis in Kosovo has weighed on Pristina’s relations with the EE UU and the European Union. Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2008, but among EU countries it has not been recognized as a state in Spain, Romania, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus.
In an attempt to break the deadlock, the second legislative elections took place on Sunday this year. The results gave victory to the incumbent Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and his party, Self-Determination, with 49% of the vote, followed by the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo with 21% and the Democratic League of Kosovo with almost 14%. Even though his fever readings are improving, Kurti continues to need support that he hasn’t been able to get for ten months. Uncertainty, one of the worst variables in politics, persists.
However, the real concern does not come from the parliamentary calculation or the electoral repetition, something normal in any democracy, due to the repressive drift adopted by the nationalist administration of the Serbian minority. This is an explosive variable in the most complicated process of normalization of relations with Serbia and which arouses concern in Brussels, which imposes sanctions on Kosovo in 2023, including the freezing of funds. On the one hand, respect for minorities constitutes a non-negotiable red line for the EU. On the other hand, the understanding with Belgrade is fundamental to begin the process of integrating the two territories into the Union, but also to attenuate Russian influence in the region at a time of declared hostility by Putin towards the European project.
Acierta calls on Brussels to demand that the Nationalist Executive respect the commitment to give autonomy to Serbian municipalities and to link to this respect the 6 billion aid from the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The understanding between Serbia and Kosovo is certainly complicated. Kosovo de facto separated from Belgrade in 1999 following NATO intervention against the Milosevic regime. However, this agreement is the key to the future of Europe on the ground because it would involve the pacification of the Balkans, but because it would allow the definitive integration of this region into the Union. Kosovar nationalism must understand that Brussels will not accept Kosovo’s entry into the EU at any price.
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