About: Kosovo
Analyst says if Putin was a candidate in Serbia, he would get over 70% of the vote
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić knows that “Russia has become completely useless for Serbia”, but he will keep up his pro-Putin rhetoric to please his electorate in the run-up to the elections on 3 April, says Orhan Dragaš, a security expert in Belgrade.
Kosovo and Serbia need wide consensus to resolve conflict, expert says
The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia have floated the idea of a land swap to settle their disputes. The proposal, involving the predominantly Serb northern Kosovo and Preševo Valley in southern Serbia, has been welcomed by some and criticised by others for fear it might create further instability in the Balkans.
Kosovar minister: ‘When the EU has a political will, it can deliver’
Kosovo is appealing to Brussels to grant its citizens visa-free travel to the EU. But at a time of crises in migration, terrorism and people-smuggling, some are sceptical. A decision on the waiver is expected in the coming days.
Kosovo: UNESCO rejection due to Serbia’s ‘appalling behaviour’
Kosovo has just missed out on admission to UNESCO. In an interview by EURACTIV Germany, Deputy Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi was asked how he evaluated Belgrade's role in the decision.
Fleckenstein: Western Balkan countries need more support
Western Balkans countries need to fully implement EU-related reforms, Knut Fleckenstein told EURACTIV. However, the tough economic situation has made it difficult for them to do so.
Thaçi: ‘Rumours caused the exodus of Kosovars’
Rumours circulated that Germany was issuing work permits, and this created confusion, Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaçi told EURACTIV Germany, referring to the recent exodus of 30,000 Kosovars to EU countries.
Serbian minister: For EU integration, we need the understanding of our citizens
EU integration means deep reform. This is why Serbia needs the understanding of its citizens, as well as of its partners in the Union, Jadranka Joksimovi? told EURACTIV Serbia in an exclusive interview.
Serbia’s EU path is not a ‘walk in the park’
Serbia has to carry out accession negotiations in parallel with the normalisation of relations with its former province, Kosovo. This is not an easy thing, Corina Stratulat of the European Policy Centre (EPC), told EURACTIV Serbia in an exclusive interview.
Serbian minister: ‘If Croatia can do it, we can do it’
Serbia hopes that the next EU summit on 27-28 June will take a decision to start accession talks in October, Suzana Grubješi?, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Serbia, told EURACTIV Germany in an exclusive interview.
Kosovo Minister: Serbian structures in Northern Kosovo should be dismantled
The recent agreement between Kosovo and Serbia requires that all parallel structures such as police or courts in the Serbia-populated Northern Kosovo should be dismantled, Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj told EurActic Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
NIS CEO: Gazprom is our main shareholder, but we support Serbia’s EU bid
Gazprom Neft holds a 56% stake in NIS, the largest energy company in Serbia, but the company vows to do business “outside politics” and support the country’s EU integration, Kirill Kravchenko, CEO of NIS, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Füle: Enlargement brings ‘positive news’ in times of crisis
Even in times of crisis, nine European countries strive to join the EU. It would be an “enormous mistake” if the Union would lose interest in expansion, Štefan Füle told EURACTIV Czech Republic in an exclusive interview.
Foreign Minister: Kosovo needs more EU help
Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj of Kosovo credits "Euro-Atlantic" support for helping to build the young country. In an interview with EURACTIV.de, he urges the European Union to continue to provide aid and to help resolve lingering disputes with the EU's newest candidate country - Serbia.
Parliament rapporteur: All EU countries should recognise Kosovo
Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA group), the European Parliament's rapporteur on Kosovo, urges the five EU countries that have not recognised Kosovo's independence – Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia and Spain – to do so. She spoke to EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Serbia Deputy PM: EU talks should not be used to blackmail Belgrade
Serbia's hopes of obtaining EU candidate status should not be used to blackmail Belgrade into accepting unacceptable solutions regarding the breakaway province of Kosovo, Bozidar Djelic, the country's deputy prime minister for European integration, told EURACTIV Serbia in an exclusive interview.
Serbian ambassador: US is sole power-broker in Kosovo
Serbia and other key international players believe that the US plays a decisive role in the territory, including during the recent checkpoint tension between Belgrade and Pristina, according to Ivo Viskovi?, the Serbian ambassador to Berlin, who spoke exclusively to EURACTIV Germany in a wide-ranging interview.
Serbia Deputy PM: We could solve ‘everyday problems’ with Pristina
Serbia is hoping to be granted the status of EU candidate member at next December's summit of EU leaders, the country's deputy prime minister, Bozidar Djelic, told EURACTIV Germany. He also voiced Belgrade's readiness to seek a difficult compromise with Serbia's former province Kosovo on smaller 'everyday' issues.
Kosovo Minister: ‘We feel part of Western Europe’
From a cultural and historical point of view, Kosovo is a country that considers itself as part of Western Europe, Besim Beqaj, Kosovo's minister for European integration, told EURACTIV Czech Republic in an interview.
Analyst: ‘Imperfect’ EU remains attractive for Balkans
The Balkan countries are under no illusions about the EU – it is an ''imperfect human creation'' but is still their best option for guaranteeing stability and prosperity following the wars of the 1990s, Ivan Vejvoda, executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.
Expert: Court ruling on Kosovo gave ‘no answer’ on real issues
In its ruling on the status of Kosovo, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) chose such a narrow and technical focus that it did not respond to the real issues – Kosovo's right to self-determination and the territorial integrity of the Serbian state, Professor Tibor Varady, a member of the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration, told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
Kosovo analyst: Serbia to enter a ‘very negative cycle’
The recent International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision on Kosovo appears to have pushed Serbia into a very negative cycle regarding its integration with the EU, and the developments could negatively affect not only Kosovo but the entire region, Agron Bajrami, editor of the 'Koha Ditore' daily, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Ambassador: Kosovo will not set a bad precedent
The recent ruling by the International Court of Justice in favour of Kosovo's declaration of independence proved that it had the legitimate right to become a state but will not set a precedent for separatist movements around the world, Shkendije Géci Sherifi, Kosovo's ambassador to Budapest, told EURACTIV Hungary in an interview.
Diplomat: Upcoming Kosovo ruling will be spun by both sides
Whatever the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decides in its imminent ruling on Kosovo, both Belgrade and Pristina will immediately try and spin the result in their own favour, Gerard M. Gallucci, former UN Regional Representative in Mitrovica, Kosovo, told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.