Albanian Post's sources claim that the new proposal by France and Germany resulted directly from the inclusion of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz in the dialogue process, because "Kosovo and Serbia alone will never be able to solve the problem". It is also said that the "new framework" was presented to Aljbin Kurti and Aleksandar Vučić.
In the first point of this proposal, it is emphasized that "by the middle of 2023, the essential normalization of relations must be achieved". It is also clarified that "Serbia will not be ready to join the EU without the complete normalization of political, legal and diplomatic relations with Kosovo", but that "given that Serbia's accession to the EU is still far away, at this stage Serbia will not be asked to legally recognize Kosovo". Albanian media sources say that this attitude is the result of the fact that the EU is currently not ready to even consider the accelerated membership of Serbia, and therefore neither are the other countries of the Western Balkans.
It is specified that "for now, instead of recognition, Serbia must accept Kosovo as a separate political and legal reality". It is also clarified that "the essence is the correct use of semantics - accepting the independence of Kosovo, as opposed to recognizing the independence of Kosovo".
The aforementioned "acceptance of independence" is divided into three points. The first says that "actually speaking, Kosovo and Serbia should fully normalize relations, enabling the bilateral movement of people and goods", as well as "connectivity, socio-economic development, good neighborliness...", it also mentions "the common regional market promoted by the Council for regional cooperation, based on the four freedoms of the EU...".
As for the "acceptance of Kosovo as a separate political and legal reality by Serbia", this would mean that Serbia will take a passive position and will no longer oppose Kosovo's membership in international organizations, which would proceed through four stages. The first phase is for "Kosovo to become a member of the Council of Europe", the second "membership in Interpol and UNESCO", the third "beginning of negotiations for accession to NATO and applications for membership in the EU", and the fourth "membership in the UN".
Albanian Post sources say that Germany and France insist on all of the above and that these two countries, "pillars of the EU", have agreed on their policy towards the Western Balkans, so that "France stands strongly with Germany in its goal of revitalization and the full success of the Berlin process, while Germany stands strongly with France in its vision for a cautious policy of expansion towards the Western Balkans".
It is also emphasized that France and Germany have made it clear to Kosovo and Serbia that by the end of 2022 they want as many practical agreements as possible between the two sides, which enable the successful revitalization of the Berlin process.
It is also said that after the second agreement on the normalization of relations, the five EU countries would join the other EU countries and recognize Kosovo, which would enable Brussels "to treat the membership of the six Western Balkan countries as one block".
At the very end, it was explained what Serbia and Kosovo get if they sign the agreement, and what the consequences would be if the agreement is not reached. Kosovo, apart from the recognition of the five EU states, would receive "an unlocking perspective for membership in NATO and the EU", while Serbia would receive significant financial and economic aid and "be recognized as a power that leads the region economically and politically".
There is also a part about the stick, that is, the consequences of rejecting this proposal. Thus, as a consequence of non-acceptance, Kosovo would receive "complete isolation of Kurti's government, as a form of pressure that would affect the longevity of the government." As for Serbia, if it does not accept this plan, "economic and financial isolation" will follow, and it is also pointed out that the five countries that do not recognize Kosovo will eventually leave Serbia and join the other countries that have recognized it, with the warning that "the EU will speak with one voice".
Albanian Post sources also say that, without Serbia's readiness to formally recognize the independence of Kosovo, it is very difficult to reach an agreement on the ZSO, which would ensure a greater degree of autonomy for the Kosovo Serbs. In other words, the talks on the ZSO can be moved to the third phase of the dialogue, when the European perspective of Serbia and Kosovo becomes tangible.
MT/Albanian post/Kosovo online/Danas
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