Serbia and Kosovo to accept EU's normalization deal

Kateryna Saienko

Leaders of former wartime enemies Serbia and Kosovo are expected to endorse an EU deal on Monday to normalize their relations.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are expected to sign up to the plan at a meeting in Brussels on Monday hosted by the EU. It should serve as the normalization of relations, said the EU's special representative for the dialogue., Miroslav Lajcak.

If Serbia and Kosovo accept the EU-US-backed plan to normalize relations on Monday, it will de facto mean mutual recognition, Hina news reports.

The EU does not expect leaders to debate the plan but is open to discussions on its implementation, the official said.

Accepting the proposal will fulfill the commitment to create a Union of Serbian Municipalities in Northern Kosovo, which is Serbia's main demand for resuming negotiations with Kosovo.

After years of attempts as part of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo to normalize relations, Germany and France launched an initiative, supported by the US and the EU, to make progress on this front as quickly as possible in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The proposal has not been made public, but Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported that respect for territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, recognition of state symbols, and a special arrangement for the Serbian community in Kosovo are among its provisions.

On February 6, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti accepted a proposed EU plan aimed at normalizing relations with Serbia. Serbiais expected not to blockKosovo's membership in international organizations. Both countries are expected to develop good neighborly relations based on equal rights.