Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in focus of EU and Western Balkans ministers' meeting

The Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) member states will hold a joint meeting with their counterparts from the Western Balkans on May 11.

The discussion between the 27 heads of European diplomacy and the six foreign ministers of the countries of the region will serve as an incentive for the continuation of discussions on the situation in the region, which will be held on the same day, only at the level of European ministers.

The EU and Western Balkans Foreign Ministers are expected to discuss, among other things, preparations for the EU-Western Balkans summit, which will be held in June in Tivat, Montenegro.

European diplomats involved in the preparations for the meeting have announced that the focus of the discussion between European ministers and their counterparts from the region will be strengthening cooperation between the EU and the countries of the region, increasing the resilience of the Western Balkan states to negative external influences, harmonization with EU foreign policy, including sanctions, as well as relations between the countries of the region themselves.

In this regard, officials familiar with the preparations for the meeting have emphasized that among the topics that Brussels wants to keep in focus will be the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. These sources warn that Brussels officials are not satisfied with the dynamics of the process.

"Although there have been some results in recent months, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina still does not have the dynamics we would like to see. We expect that during the discussion an additional impetus will be given to advance the process," said a European diplomat who wished to remain anonymous.

This official confirmed the readiness of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, to, as he said, "play her role" in this process.

However, diplomats in Brussels warn that, despite its willingness to convene a new round of dialogue at the leadership level, the internal situation in Kosovo makes it difficult to achieve this goal due to the continuous election cycles in the country, which is directly reflected in the dialogue process itself.

The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia last met in the framework of the dialogue in September 2023. Kaja Kallas took office as EU High Representative in December 2024 and so far has not had the opportunity to host the dialogue at the highest political level.

During 2025, the justification for the lack of meetings within the framework of the dialogue was the unfavorable internal political circumstances, both in Serbia and Kosovo, although of different nature.

In Serbia, protests have been taking place since November 2024 after the collapse of the shelter over the entrance to the railway station in Novi Sad, where 16 citizens lost their lives.

Kosovo, on the other hand, has been facing an institutional crisis throughout the past year due to the lack of political agreement on the formation of institutions after the elections.

In Kosovo, parliamentary elections were held in February and December 2025, while new elections are scheduled for June 7./REL