Towards A European Solution For Kosovo?

In the beginning of April 2007, the United Nations Special Envoy for Kosovo, former Finnish president Ahtisaari, presented his proposal for the solution of Kosovo’s future status to the UN Security Council. The proposal recommended an internationally (EU and NATO) supervised independence of Kosovo. A decision in the Security Council has turned out impossible because of Russia’s declared intention to veto Kosovo’s independence. Several EU member states have been reluctant to back independence outside a UN resolution, because they fear this could set an undesirable precedent. The international community now seems to have shifted from the endorsement of independence for Kosovo towards support for an “internationally supervised status” (EU-representative of the “Kosovo-Troika”, Wolfgang Ischinger). Expectations towards the outcome of the direct talks between Belgrade and Prishtina, led by the Troika(EU, US and Russia) which have to be concluded by 10 December are pessimistic. After the expiry of that date, the leader of the Kosovo transitory government, Agim Çeku, has threatened to declare unilateral independence as soon as possible. Serbian president Kostunica refuses a solution outside of the UN-Security Council and opposes the independence of Kosovo categorically. Still, for both sides, Serbia and Kosovo, an agreement is a sine qua non for a future membership of the EU. What possibilities has the EU to bring about a peaceful solution of the Kosovo-conflict? What are the expectations of the Serbian and Albanian citizens in Kosovo towards the European Union?

Speakers:
- Danijela Nenadic, Programme Coordinatorof the Center for Non Violent Resistence, Belgrade
- Beqe Cufaj, Founder and Leader of the European Kosovo Initiative, Prishtina

Moderator:
Claude Weinber, Director EU Regional Office Brussels, Heinrich Böll Foundation