Serbia - Kosovo relations in the Context of EU enlargement policy

By Elvita Mertins

The European Union (EU) has been set ambitious demands to Kosovo and Serbia towards their way to EU membership. Kosovo has been identified as a potential candidate for EU membership, since its declared independence from Serbia in 2008, while Serbia was granted to the EU candidate status in 2012. Kosovo’s declaration of independence was firmly rejected by Serbia. Consequently, it has led the region into unresolved territorial disputes and a frozen conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. However, the EU has made clear the statement that both countries’ progress toward an accession depends on improving their neighborly relations and ensuring peace in the region. Hence, unresolved territorial disputes have become one of the main obstacles of both countries’ to the EU membership aspirations. 

First and foremost, Serbia has maintained that the two objectives – Serbia’s EU membership and normalization of relations with Kosovo – are mutually exclusive. The EU’s enlargement strategy is based on a development of positive relations with neighbors, and from this perspective any anti-Kosovo policies or aggressions from Serbia are counterproductive to the EU interests. Furthermore, it is evident that, member states have no interests in importing further territorial disputes in the EU.

Another aspect, which makes Serbia’s accession to the EU more complex is the Serbian government resistance to the integration of Kosovo into regional and international institutions, including to the EU membership. The EU enlargement perspective covers the whole Western Balkans region. Consequently, if Serbia is to become a new member state and block Kosovo’s further progress toward the EU, it would be counterproductive in terms of the EU’s policies toward the region.  

Apart from the forenamed problems, the fact that six member states– Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain – do not officially recognize Kosovo as an independent state, allows Serbian government to play a political game, while making its policy on Kosovo standstill situation possible. In other words, a lack of consensus on Kosovo recognition among the EU countries permits Serbia to refer EU’s supposedly controversial demands. In addition, this also limits the credibility on the Kosovo statehood issue.

In spite of the above mentioned shortcomings, the EU’s dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo has produced remarkable results towards stability and peace in the region. On the 19th of April 2013, Kosovo and Serbia signed an agreement - simply known as ‘Brussels Agreement’-concerning the normalization of their countries’ relations. Although the progress in the implementation of the agreement was slower than expected, this agreement is a significant step for both countries not only establishing peaceful neighborly relations, but also in clearing the way to move ahead with their applications to join the European Union.

It is evident that Serbia’s membership aspirations and its policies on Kosovo have to go hand in hand together. The closer Serbia moves to EU accession, the more its government has to ensure neighborly relations with Kosovo. On the other hand, countries’ aspirations to become EU member states are powerful political instrument for the EU to make further reforms in the region. That is to say, remaining political and security issues in Serbia and Kosovo can be best resolved if the EU engages actively and if it plays the enlargement ‘card’ appropriately.