Speaking before audiences in Bother Belgrade and Podgorica, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed her expectation that Serbia and Kosovo will respect the agreements made in Ohrid, Macedonia, earlier this year. Designed to normalise their relations, the EU expects Serbia and Kosovo to comply with the Ohrid agreement, which includes the establishment of an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in Kosovo that would protect Serbs’ interests while insisting that Serbia does not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organisation. However, Serbian premiere Vucic refused to sign the agreement, and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is wary about setting up the Association.
The EU has stepped up pressure on Belgrade and Pristina to push forward with the normalisation process, which would open up their paths to membership of the European bloc. The leaders of the three biggest EU states, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, met Vucic and Kurti on October 26 to try to get them to commit to implementing the Ohrid agreement. Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani said that the initial agreement on normalisation made in 2013 in Brussels should be implemented in full, leading to de-facto recognition and paving the way for more peace and long-term stability.
However, continuing tensions and recriminations could scupper hopes for progress towards normalisation. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Jakov Milatovic expressed hope his country could be a EU member by the end of 2030. Von der Leyen also visited North Macedonia on Monday, where she focused on a forthcoming bid to change the constitution to end the Bulgarian blockade on Skopje’s EU accession.
