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What does Europe want from Kosovo?
Kalush Orchestra at Balkan Trafik Festival in Brussels.
It has been a busy week for me with a trip to Brussels for the Balkan Trafik music festival. I also visited many in the European Union to see how Kosovo and the Balkans were faring.
The short answer is not well. At this point there is a palpable and blunt disappointment in Prime Minister Kurti in particular. Where once Europe had a lot of sympathy for him especially after he was ousted by the Trump administration, now he is seen as someone who it is not possible to work with.
Despite characterizing Serbian President Vučić as a “bad guy” who does things Europe is not happy with, on Kosovo, “ and this issue only” he is considered to be a reasonable partner.
The Ohrid agreement as far as the EU is concerned is agreed and Kurti’s push for a signature from Vučić is misguided as it distracts from the real work.
Avdullah Hoti, the last prime minister - who the Trump administration installed in Kurti’s place when they helped push out the last Vetëvendosje government was praised - something that would surprise many in Kosovo who saw him as a doughy ineffectual, corrupt leader. He will forever be remembered scrunching down in a small chair next to Vučić in the Oval office while Trump sat in front, lecturing them like school children from his desk.
The EU official told me that with Hoti “we even released a joint press release” during the Dialogue. That could not happen with Kurti.
The Association of Serb Municipalities remans at the top of the list of EU wants. The recent elections that the Serbs boycotted were not seen as an effectual solution. The EU recogonizes that they were slow walked and conditions were placed on the elections that the Kosovo Serbs would never agree with.
Despite this, member states are of two minds about lifting sanctions against Kosovo that many see as ineffective. The French and Italians want a gradual lifting and others want them to be lifted altogether. Perhaps the carrot will work over the stick.
In six months the entirety of the EU leadership will be changed. And in June or July there will be a new interlocutor for the Dialogue. Slovakis and Slovenia have nominated former presidents. But there is a push for a person from a recognsing country this time.
One thing I asked was what did Miroslav Lajčak do wrong? As he goes off to be the EU envoy to Switzerland - which is essentially a retirement for diplomats - a man who once, reportedly had heady ambitions seems to have been beaten by Kosovo- Serbia.
Letting Vučić leave Ohrid without a signature was one thing told me. but otherwise it seems that Kurti is the answer: how can you negotiate with a man who does not want to negotiate? Or as one EU official told me: “we can’t help them if they don’t want help.”
But what does that mean for Kosovo? Nothing moves. Any mention of candidate status is laughed out of the room. The Kosovo government must change, the EU won’t.
And what of the Trump spectre? “We trust the American people to make the right decision for them…. We will work with whoever will speak to us.” But if Trump pulls troops out of Kosovo the EU said they will step in with troops. Even if they have to pulled from Bosnia.
So we won’t have war; just a stalemate.
I want to write more on the Festival in a separate piece and am pitching it out now as well. But a few comments. The most emotional night was Kalush Orchestra’s closing performance. Many Ukrainians came out to see them and one I had talked to before -an older woman - who recorded most of it on her phone sobbed afterwards, “I miss home” she said. I went backstage and spoke to one member of the band and told him what just happened and he looked at me with such sadness.
A band that plays such a joyous mix of folk, hip hop and reggae then to be thrust forward as the symbol of your nation in the most horrible of circumstances must be horrific in many ways. I did ask if the war creates a shadow over everything they do. Which of course it is but what a burden to carry for such young men who just wanted to make music.
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