The Westernbalkans
Following an information of the press team of EEAS, on 15 of May 2024 the Spokesperson of the EEAS has issued a statement on efforts to find temporary arrangements on cash operations in Kosovo.
“In order to find a sustainable temporary solution for the people most affected by the regulation of the Kosovo Central Bank on cash operations, the European Union, as the Facilitator of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, hosted seven rounds of meetings with the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia between 28 February and 15 May in Brussels” – the Spokesperson sad.
During these meetings, the EU provided ideas and proposals throughout the process, and the Parties extensively presented their positions and explored possibilities for finding common ground. Finally they managed to bridge some of their differences in order to ensure financial flows from Serbia to Kosovo, including agreeing on the establishment of a new business entity under Kosovo law tasked to temporarily distribute financial assistance from Serbia.
“However, the Parties could not agree on several key issues including the overall extent of activities of the new entity, the scope of beneficiaries of this entity, and financial assistance from Serbia to Serbia-supported institutions in Kosovo” – the statement said.
Finally the statement assesses that there is no readiness to find a compromise agreement going forward. The absence of an agreed way forward has negative consequences on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs and other communities throughout Kosovo and is a continued source of concerns.
Comments:
Despite the fact that all politicians in the EU are currently focused on the upcoming elections, experts continue to try to achieve at least some progress in the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue. However, the spokesperson of the EEAS stated that the EU as the Facilitator remains ready to convene another meeting on this subject as soon as the Parties signal readiness to find a mutually acceptable solution, which, however, means that such a new meeting will not take place soon.
