Peter Sorensen and Pekka Haavisto, the only candidates to succeed Lajcak for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia

The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will have to decide these days between the two candidates to succeed Miroslav Lajcak as the EU's special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has learned that Danish diplomat Peter Sorensen and former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto are the only candidates who have applied for the role as of last Friday, when the deadline for submitting applications expired. Meanwhile, the EU has not provided any details on this and only confirmed that “the selection process is ongoing.”

"The mandate of High Representative Miroslav Lajčák remains in force until the end of January. The selection of his successor is currently ongoing and we will provide further information in due course," said Annita Hipper, EU spokesperson for foreign policy and security.

If the EU wants to ensure that there is no vacuum, then the procedure for appointing a new special envoy for the dialogue should be concluded before the end of this month, when Lajcak's mandate officially ends.

But, in addition to High Representative Kallas' decision to appoint Lajcak's successor, EU member states must also agree. Working groups in the Council of the EU are currently dealing with this issue.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels told Radio Free Europe that both candidates would be considered a good choice, but there are some differences between them. The sources said that if Kallas were to decide to have someone with greater political clout in the post, former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto would be the preferred choice. Even when Lajcak was elected to the post five years ago, the fact that he had served as foreign minister of a member country of the bloc was cited as an advantage.

But, on the other hand, these sources say, if Kallas wants to deal more with the dialogue process in the political aspect, then Sorensen is considered a more suitable candidate, because he has been working in the structures of the EU External Evaluation Service (EEAS) for many years and would take on more mediation in technical issues in the dialogue.

Diplomatic sources from EU member states estimate that Sorensen is slightly more likely than Haavisto. Both Sorensen and Haavisto have experience and knowledge of the Western Balkans. Peter Sorensen from Denmark has more diplomatic experience in European Union structures than a political career in his own country.

In Kosovo, Haavisto was Deputy Head of "Pillar IV" (Economic Reconstruction and Development) of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 2002 to 2006, as well as Senior Advisor to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo from 2001 to 2002.

He has over 15 years of experience in the Western Balkans region. During his diplomatic career in the EU, Sorensen served as EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the EU Office in Sarajevo, and was also Special Representative of the EU High Representative in Serbia. In the Balkans region, he also worked in the OSCE Mission in Croatia.

He was also the head of the European Union delegation in Skopje. He is currently an advisor at the EEAS for digital diplomacy. On the other hand, Pekka Haavisto was the foreign minister of Finland. In that capacity, he had visited both Kosovo and Serbia.

Haavisto has strongly supported the dialogue process and criticized Serbia for lobbying against recognizing Kosovo's independence, while he criticized Kosovo for imposing tariffs on imports of goods from Serbia years ago.

As Finland's Foreign Minister, Haavisto has been a strong supporter of the EU enlargement process and the advancement of relations with the Western Balkan countries. In the post-war period in Kosovo, Haavisto also worked in the structures of the UNMIK Administration, which dealt with the ecological consequences of the war. He has run for president of Finland three times. He has always finished in second place. Haavisto has also served as Finland's Minister of the Environment in his political career.

EU diplomatic sources say that Lajcak's successor is expected to be only a special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and not have any other obligations related to the Western Balkans region. Lajcak's title also includes duties for "other regional issues" in addition to his engagement as a facilitator in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

The name of former Slovenian President and Prime Minister Borut Pahor has previously been mentioned for this role. Pahor himself confirmed during the summer that he was interested in this post and had the support of the Government of his decision. However, he announced on Friday that he would not compete for the position of EU special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, as he understood that a diplomatic rather than political level is required.

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has been taking place with the facilitation of the European Union for more than 13 years. The EU continues to insist that the implementation of all agreements reached so far is an obligation for Kosovo and Serbia, and that this remains a condition for their advancement in the European integration process.

Diplomatic sources in the EU say that this EU position will not change in the future, regardless of who will be the facilitator in the dialogue./REL