European Union members on June 14 unanimously agreed on “reversible and temporary measures” against Kosovo, to be phased out depending on developments on the ground and credible decisive steps by Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti, according to EU spokesman Peter Stano quoted by Balkan Insight.

Kurti has been under pressure from the EU and other Western allies to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo where the election of mayors in by-elections boycotted by local Serbs, which make up the majority of the population, led to unrest including violent clashes between Serb protesters and law enforcers. 

The EU has reduced high-level visits, contacts and financial cooperation with the Balkan country, mirroring similar measures taken by the US late last month, according to the Financial Times.

The steps are “reversible and incremental” but bear “financial and political consequences”, EU foreign policy spokesman Stano said.

A June 14 letter from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to Kurti, posted by Stano on Twitter, states: “I urge you to adopt more resolute steps to de-escalate the situation, along the lines of measures requested by the EU Member States and our US partners … As 27 EU Member States have made it very clear, failure to de-escalate will result in negative consequences.” 

Stano announced that the five-step proposal for de-escalation that Kurti announced the day before “fails to adequately address some key elements which triggered … the latest crisis, and which we expect him to address urgently with decisive measures”.

Despite the EU’s repeated calls, “PM Kurti has so far failed to take decisive steps and actions to de-escalate” the tense situation in the Serb-majority north, where protests have continued since May 26, Stano said.

The tensions in the region further worsened on June 13 when protests broke after the arrest of a local Serb suspected of being involved in attacks against members of the Kosovo Force (KFOR). 

 

 

On June 14, Serbia arrested three Kosovan police officers under circumstances still to be clarified. The Serbian authorities say the men were captured with Serbia, while the Kosovan police say they were kidnapped from within Kosovo.

Later in the day, the authorities of Kosovo decided to ban vehicles with Serbian license plates from entering the region.

"The agencies decided to tighten border control for security reasons. As an emergency step, it was decided to bar entry to Kosovo for vehicles with Serbian license plates. At the same time, the security authorities keep analysing the situation," said spokesman for the Kosovo government Perparim Kryeziu quoted by Kosovo Online.

On June 11, Kurti presented a plan aimed at defusing tensions in the Serb-majority north. The proposed measures include holding fresh local elections and reducing the size of the special police force. 

The plan was presented in response to pressure from Western supporters of Kosovo's independence, who warned that Kosovo will face negative consequences if it fails to de-escalate the situation.