This is the case for 34 of them but not for the 12 others, first and foremost Serbia which considers that “Kosovo-Metohija” remains an integral part of its territory.
Kosovo takes another step towards membership of the Council of Europe
A request made possible by the exclusion of Russia
Rapporteur of the assembly on the advisability of Kosovar accession, Dora Bakoyannis therefore set the framework from the outset. This is not a position on recognition or non-recognition of a State she clarified. “This is and will remain a prerogative of the States”. She also won the game since her report and the opinion which made it official were adopted by 131 votes for, 29 against and 11 abstentions.
If the foreign ministers of the Council of Europe member states share the assembly’s position and confirm it by a 2/3 majority, Kosovo will become the 47th member of the Organization. Which, the assembly hopes, could be “beneficial” to this country “and to anyone under its jurisdiction” but also “a factor of stability, democratic security and peace in the Western Balkans and in Europe”.
This now probable accession of Kosovo was made possible by the exclusion of Russia from the Council of Europe in March 2022 after the start of the war in Ukraine. In line with Serbian positions, Moscow would have blocked any Kosovar request and Pristina, which knew this, perceived Russia’s ejection as a green light.
In Kosovo, “we must stop living in permanent conflict”
As early as May 2022, the request was sent to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which, in April 2023, transmitted it for opinion to the assembly as required by procedure. For the assembly, Dora Bayokannis said, the challenge is to strengthen Kosovar parliamentary democracy, in particular by guaranteeing access to the European Court of Human Rights – an emanation of the Council of Europe – for all those who are under its jurisdiction.
Follow-up planned in the event of membership
In this context, the implementation of the judgment of the Kosovar Constitutional Court recognizing the Serbian Orthodox Church’s land ownership of land around the Visoki Decani monastery is considered “a tangible sign of the government’s commitment to act in full respect of the rule of law, regardless of political considerations”. The resolution of this affair was part of the conditions for Kosovo’s accession, it has been fulfilled. This, however, is not the case for two other prerequisites: the creation of an Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority and strict respect for the law in the context of expropriations.
Kosovo is committed to acting in this direction after accession, which the Serbian deputies who spoke on Tuesday evening and scrapped a series of amendments to the end in an attempt to – refuse to believe. in vain – to derail the vote.
The explosion of violence in northern Kosovo gives way to confusion and political one-upmanship
The assembly did not follow them but recalls that – if it is approved by the Committee of Ministers – the accession of Kosovo will trigger a strict procedure for monitoring the commitments made. This will involve verifying that two million Kosovar Europeans are indeed protected by what Dora Bayokannis calls “the democratic umbrella of the Council of Europe”.