German MEP: Association as a precondition for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe was not fair

The German MEP, Franz Romeo, does not consider it reasonable that the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority is a prerequisite for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.

As a member of the Greens in the European Parliament, he tells Kallxo.com that in the circumstances in which Kosovo finds itself, putting the Association as a prerequisite was not a right decision nor a proper tool.

While talking about the policy that Germany has applied in this case in relation to Kosovo, MEP Romeo considers that the issue of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe is still not out of the question.

"It seems that Germany, through this dispute, is trying not to lose Serbia to Russia or China" - says Romeo about the condition that Germany and France put in order for Kosovo to join the Council of Europe.

According to him, the letter of President Vjosa Osmani, Speaker Glauk Konjufa and Prime Minister Albin Kurti to implement all the measures required of Kosovo after becoming a member of the Council of Europe is not enough because, as he says, "the preconditions are more mandatory than guarantees".

"However, from a geopolitical perspective, a stronger commitment to Kosovo would have been important" - he added, saying that Kosovo's society should be more involved in such processes.

An informed society, according to him, strengthens the political will and therefore also the pressure on the government, the decision-makers and also promotes a stronger cooperation within the social structures.

Gerald Knaus from the European Initiative for Stability had said that it is madness to stop Kosovo's progress towards membership in the Council of Europe. According to him, the Foreign Ministers in Strasbourg should set a new date for an extraordinary meeting for Kosovo.

The issue of Kosovo's membership in this organization has not been placed on the agenda of this meeting.

In Kosovo, there was an expectation that this meeting would confirm that the youngest country in Europe would become the 47th member of the Council of Europe.

However, several states have asked Kosovo to submit the draft statute for the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority to the Constitutional Court as a step to gain the support of the majority of the representatives of the member states of the Council of Europe for membership in this organization.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gërvalla-Schëarz, on 16.05.2024, sent a letter to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly for, as she said, the commitment to prepare a draft that foresees "the creation of a mechanism for self-sufficiency".