Kosovo closer to joining Council of Europe, Serbia attacks Greek delegate

5 months ago 22

Kosovo took another step towards becoming a member of the Council of Europe (CoE), a pan-European human rights body, on Tuesday (16 April) as its parliamentary assembly overwhelmingly passed a report recommending membership, with even representatives from non-recognising states voting in support.

The application, unprecedented as not all members of CoE recognise Kosovo’s independence, was approved with 131 votes in favour, 29 against, and 11 abstentions following three hours of debate and over 65 interventions.

In March, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) recommended that Kosovo be invited to be a member, based on a statutory report by former Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis (New Democracy/EPP).

The report found that Kosovo is “broadly in line with the Council of Europe standards and that its Constitution is a very progressive instrument” and is aligned with various international conventions and human rights charters.

It also noted that “membership would strengthen human rights standards by ensuring access to the European Court of Human Rights for all those under Kosovo’s jurisdiction”.

The final membership decision now lies with the CoE’s Committee of Ministers, the organisation’s executive body, which will meet in May. For Pristina’s membership to be approved, a two-thirds majority is required.

“Since 1951, the Committee of Ministers has not taken a decision different from the Opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; we believe that the next phase will also be completed successfully,” Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said after the vote.

“With Kosovo there, the Council of Europe gains a new and vibrant democracy, where the law rules and human rights are respected. Thanks to everyone. Congratulations to everyone,” Kurti said.

Heated debate

Serbia’s main position of argument was that admitting Kosovo to the CoE would rubber stamp claims of human rights violations against Serbs and would be considered a step towards recognising its sovereignty.

Serbian representative Biljana Pantić Pilja called rapporteur Bakoyannis a “hypocrite”, adding, that Serbia was “a small nation but will never surrender – Zivela Srbija.”

Ahead of the vote, Ukraine’s representative Oleksii Goncharenko called on Serbia to work with the EU and its neighbours, “turn a page,” and “move ahead together”, a statement welcomed by the chamber.

“You will never be able to rebuild the Serbian empire (…) break that connection with Putin,” he said.

Several speakers noted how accepting Kosovo would allow the monitoring and bolstering of human rights, particularly relating to concerns over the Serb minority.

German Knut Abraham said the CoE offers human rights protection, and it would “make no sense to deny minorities access to the instruments this institution can offer: rapporteurs, monitors, and especially the European Court of Human Rights.”

Kosovo’s Turkish minority MP, Enis Kervan, said accession to the body is the right choice for the lives of all communities in the country.

Representatives from Greece and Romania, whose countries do not recognise Kosovo’s independence, supported Pristina’s CoE membership.

Romanian ALDE chair Iulian Bulai, said Kosovo’s membership would be about the fate of 1.6 million inhabitants who went through war. “We cannot have a new Republika Srpska in the north, but we should hear the worries of the Serbian minority,” he added.

Montenegrin representative Maja Vukicevic said she would not support accession because “for us Serbs, Kosovo is part of Serbia. But in the delegation, we will have different votes as Montenegro recognised Kosovo’s independence.”

Amendments rejected

Several amendments were filed before the session, mainly by Serbia, but with one surprise from Italy, which called for Kosovo’s application to be delayed until “all articles of the Brussels and the Ohrid Agreements are implemented, including the establishment of the Association of the Serb majority municipalities.”

However, the adopted opinion states that the association should be a “post-accession commitment”, and Bakoyannis clarified in her opening speech that the association “is out of reach for the moment.”

In the vote, the amendments were dismissed by a large majority.

An insider with knowledge of the discussions behind closed doors told Euractiv that the ministers may insist Kurti align with Quint and EU lines on normalising relations with Serbia, but “Kurti is too proud to bend.”

However, the source said that even getting CoE membership talks to this stage “is a symbolic win and a slap in the face for Vucic-Putin.”

(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com – edited by Sarantis Michalopoulous, Alexandra Brzozowski)