Serbia & Kosovo to resume EU-brokered talks in July, Brussels says as Vucic’s party wins general election

Negotiations mediated by the European Union and aimed at normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo will restart in July after being stalled for almost two years, EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak has said.

After meeting Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, whose ruling Serbian Progressive Party won a landslide victory in the general election on Sunday, Lajcak said that the future agreement should “solve all issues” and be mutually acceptable. “Serbia is a part of Europe, your problems are our problems, your solutions are our solutions,” Lajcak said on Monday.

Serbia is a candidate to join the EU, but the bloc says Belgrade must first resolve its relationship with the breakaway province Kosovo. The talks stalled in November 2018 when Kosovo imposed 100 percent import tariffs on Serbian goods. On June 6, Pristina removed all trade barriers, paving the way for the resumption of talks. However, Kosovo wants full recognition of its independence by Belgrade.

Vucic said last week he would reject EU membership if Belgrade does not receive concessions in return for recognizing Kosovo, and that no solution would be possible without Russia’s consent.