Kosovo stopped one step away from joining the Council of Europe

(Patria) - Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe will not be discussed at today's session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, although the Kosovo government has undertaken activities to draft the statute of the Association of Serb Municipalities (ASM) which it is expected to send to the Kosovo Constitutional Court by the end of May.

Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervala, announced this on Thursday, informing the Council of Europe that Kosovo is working on a draft statute for establishing a "mechanism for self-governance, coordination, and cooperation of municipalities with a Serb majority in Kosovo" that meets the needs of the Serb community citizens while simultaneously respecting the Constitution of Kosovo.

Apparently, such steps by the Kosovo government come too late, and Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe has been postponed for several weeks after Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, launched a series of diplomatic activities to prevent Kosovo's admission to the organization.

Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo's independence and considers it its territory, committed through the Brussels Agreement not to obstruct Kosovo's admission to international organizations. Kosovo also accepted the obligation to form the Association of Serb Municipalities, and it is precisely the failure to take concrete steps towards establishing the ASM that has slowed down Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe.

European Union spokesperson Peter Stano welcomed Kosovo's readiness to finally engage in drafting the ASM statute, stating that, unfortunately, Kosovo has not taken any steps towards establishing the aforementioned association since 2013.

In 2013, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the establishment of the ASM, and in 2015, they agreed on its principles. The Constitutional Court of Kosovo determined in the same year that a significant part of these principles contradicted the Kosovo Constitution.

European and American diplomats delivered a draft statute for the ASM to Kosovo and Serbia at the end of last year, and the establishment of this association is part of the agreement on the normalization of relations that the parties agreed upon last year in Brussels and Ohrid.

Stano recalled that the European Council welcomed in December 2023 the readiness of Serbia and Kosovo to accept the draft statute presented to the parties by EU representatives, adding that this document was formally recognized by 27 member states of the European Union.

On April 16, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recommended Kosovo's admission to the organization, which angered Belgrade, calling it a "day of shame," while Pristina called it a "great day" and a step closer to full membership.

Following this, it was announced that the final decision was expected on May 17 and that Kosovo would need to secure the votes of two-thirds of the 46 member states for admission in the Political Committee of the CoE.

However, despite enjoying significant support within the Council of Europe, Kosovo was stopped today "one step" away from membership in this organization dedicated to human rights and freedoms, the rule of law, and the development of democracy.