Juan Cole: Serbia and Kosovo: A EU Success Story?

[pampango]

On 19 April 2013 the prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic, signed an agreement in the tenth round of negotiations, sponsored by European Union Foreign Policy Chief Baroness Catherine Ashton. The negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia had begun earlier in 2011 on technical issues which had been resolved positively. These included: free trade, recognizing customs stamps, recognizing university degrees, civil registries, freedom of movement, integrated border management, and how Kosovo is to be referred to in international conferences. But the technical issues were dependent on the overall political agreement.

The political negotiations began officially 19 October 2012 when Baroness Ashton invited Prime Minister Thaci and Prime Minister Dacic into her office in Brussels. Neither had met the other before. Thaci had been known for his earlier organizational work for the Kosovo Liberation Army, while Dacic had been Milosevic’s spokesman. It was a political risk for each to be in the company of the other. They met nine more times, sometimes for meetings that lasted as long as 14 hours. The eventual signing by both parties was a clear success for the EU.

Precedent for Conflict Resolution in Pre-Accession Period

Serbia knew that unless it could normalize relations with Kosovo, it would not be considered for candidacy (to join the EU). Kosovo sought recognition by certain countries in the EU. Both Slovakia and Romania suggested that if Serbia and Kosovo signed this Agreement, they would consider recognizing Kosovo. Such recognitions, along with movement to Stability and Association status, are important for Kosovo moving toward an eventual EU pathway.

The importance for the EU of this Agreement was stated most clearly by Michael Geary of Maastricht University, scholar of modern Europe and the European Union, who noted that the Agreement of Kosovo and Serbia represents a precedent for conflict resolution in the pre-accession period. As he noted at the Wilson Center, Washington, D.C. (April 24, 2013), in the past the EU inherited conflicts when they took in Cyprus, Ireland, and Spain. The most powerful tool of the EU is enlargement. After a country is part of the EU, it is harder to affect it. Therefore conflict resolution should be insisted on in the pre-accession period, as is being done with Serbia.

http://www.juancole.com/2013/04/serbia-european-success.html

Some years ago it would have been hard to imagine Serbia and Kosovo arriving at a peaceful agreement like this. The lure of joining the EU makes old enemies learn to live with each other.