Actions might be taken against Serbia if EU member states determine that Belgrade is not making adequate efforts to defuse the ongoing crisis with Kosovo, said Peter Stano, spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS).

This followed punitive measures taken against Kosovo after Pristina failed to de-escalate the situation in the north of the country, populated mainly by ethnic Serba. 

Stano commented during a European Commission press briefing on August 8 that the EU introduced measures against the government of Kosovo earlier this year “because of their inability to start behaving in a European way and take considerable steps for de-escalation”. 

"Everything we do is done in sync and in consultations and coordination with the member states and also with international partners in this context, mainly the United States. If the member states decide, we will also introduce necessary measures against Serbia, if the 27 member states find that, in the current atmosphere, in the current context of this latest crisis Serbia is not doing anything in order to de-escalate,” said Stano.

Continuation of the measures will “depend on the way how partners are behaving in terms of de-escalating and moving forward to get back to the normal process of conducting the dialogue”. 

Stano previously stated in mid-June that Brussels imposed restrictive measures on Kosovo based on well-defined legal frameworks due to actions taken by Pristina that escalated tensions without prior consultation with Brussels. The measures were attributed to the administration of Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s refusal to implement the designated European plan aimed at easing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

In response to a journalist question, Stano confirmed that the EU high representative had received a joint letter from European and US MPs calling for a shift in approach towards Kosovo and Serbia. They argued that pressure on Serbia should be increased, accusing Western policymakers of favouring Belgrade.

However, he said that the EU administration would not comment on the matter and stressed that EU policies decided by the bloc’s 27 member states.

Stano clarified that the EU, as an institution, holds the role of facilitating the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and any alteration in the bloc's policy regarding Serbia and Kosovo necessitates unanimous agreement from the 27 EU member states.