Main focus of Friday, December 7, 2007

The EU and the independence of Kosovo

Next Monday, mediators from the US, Russia and the EU will present their final report on the future of Kosovo to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. In it they officially declare the failure of the negotiations between the Serbs and Kosovo-Albanians. The Serb province now plans to declare independence. How can the EU contribute to stabilising the region?

The Guardian - United Kingdom

"Over the next few weeks, as the issue of independence for Kosovo comes to the boil, we are certain to have more sweat and tears, but we can, with luck and good judgment on all sides, avoid the shedding of more blood", considers Timothy Garton Ash. "The EU has just signed what in eurojargon is known as a 'stabilisation and association agreement' with Bosnia [December 4th] - an important step towards eventual membership. The EU should make it crystal clear, in public diplomacy directed at the Serbian people, that it very much wants to do the same for Serbia ... Kosovo's coordinated declaration of independence, in February 2008 at the latest, would thus be accompanied by this strong European offer to the Serbs: trade the residual shell of formal sovereignty over Kosovo for the practical chance of a better future in the EU. With their mouths, most Serbs will still say no; in their hearts, they may start to say yes." (06/12/2007)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Serbia
All available articles from » Timothy Garton Ash

Die Zeit - Germany

"Two things appear to be unthinkable for Brussels: leaving a problem child on Europe's doorstep [like Kosovo] to its own devices and - more importantly - not letting it into the house of Europe in the long term," Jochen Bittner and Andrea Böhm explain. At the same time they make the following criticism: "No one in Brussels is willing to bet on how long it will take to make Kosovo a member of the European club. Nonetheless, EU diplomats are convinced that the only way to solve the Balkan problem is to gather all the countries of former Yugoslavia under one roof - or in other words, their integration into Europe. Such ambitions not only represent a huge challenge for the expansion-weary Union, they are also a provocation for its disgruntled neighbour, Russia. From Moscow's point of view the EU's efforts in the Balkans are an arrogant invasion of Russia's traditional zones of influence. Therefore it's very possible that a frozen conflict between Europe and Russia will crystallise in Kosovo." (07/12/2007)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » Europe, » South East Europe
All available articles from » Jochen Bittner, » Andrea Böhm

Sme - Slovakia

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that Slovakia will not recognise a unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo-Albanians. Peter Morvay comments: "This stance is not evidence of steady principles and is not based on logical reasoning. Rather, it is the product of the paranoia that torments all Slovak parties. They live in fear that the separation of Kosovo will set a precedent for the Hungarians living in southern Slovakia. This attitude of the government was already reflected in the parliamentary resolution on the inviolability of the Beneš decrees [on the basis of which tens of thousands of Hungarians living in Czechoslovakia lost their rights and property]. It's an empty gesture with no practical meaning. ... It won't achieve anything, but it will poison many things." (07/12/2007)

» full article (external link, Slovak)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Slovakia, » Europe, » South East Europe
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

» To the complete press review of Friday, December 7, 2007