Can the European Union Resolve the Life-Cycle of the Conflict in Kosovo?
The relationship between Serbia and Kosovo is complex. Yet, there have
been attempts to negotiate, such as the 1999 Rambouillet negotiations by
the UN Special Envoy on Kosovo’s ‘final status’ (2005-2007). The latest
negotiations hosted by the EU have led to some results, and concerned
issues on borders, regional representation elections, and telecommunications (Gvosdev 2013).
The European Union’s (EU) Involvement and the Facilitation of Ongoing Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo
The EU has taken an active role in resolving the conflict and continues to
facilitate dialogue between Serbian and Kosovar politicians. Since 2012
dialogue has progressed at the Prime Ministerial level, with top-down
negotiations. Applying the Lederach pyramid4, when the middle and
grassroots level leaderships are not brought into the process, problems
may arise in implementation (Ramsbotham 2000: 205). For example,
despite the agreement reached by both PMs to hold local elections in
Northern Kosovo on the 2 November 2013, they were unsuccessful in
doing so. The failure was because level two and three leaders (under the
Lederach pyramid) acted as spoilers opposing the local elections, and in
some instances entered the polling stations and destroyed polling materials (Delauney 2013). The elections in North Kosovo were re-run (BBC
2013), with EULEX police and NATO soldiers securing polling stations
in order to create a safe environment for the voters (Robinson 2013).
Five out of the 28 EU Member States have still not recognised Kosovo,
complicating relations between Kosovo and the EU. Nevertheless, the
EU has taken a leading role since Kosovo’s independence. It established
the EULEX body which supports Kosovo in matters such as promoting
the rule of law, the integration of minorities, and anti-corruption. The EU
4 For
a comprehensive understanding of Lederach’s pyramid see Maiese, M. (2003)
“Levels of Action.” Beyond Intractability. Available at: http://www.beyondintractability.
org/essay/hierarchical-intervention-levels (Accessed 26 November 2013).
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