A step forward, but only one
Here are the agreed conclusions on Integrated B(oundary/order) Management (IBM) reached between Pristina and Belgrade. No question but that these are a step forward: an agreement for joint management of whatever you want to call the line between them. The heart of the matter is this:
4. The joint, integrated, single and secure posts will be located within a ‘common area of IBM crossing points’, jointly delineated, where officials of each party carry out relevant controls. Exceptionally, and limited to the common IBM areas, the parties will not display symbols of their respective jurisdictions;
The EU will chair the implementation group. The arrangement is not intended to decide or influence the question of status, and the agreement does not cover revenue or fiscal questions. It only provides a mechanism through which Belgrade and Pristina will presumably each meet its own revenue and fiscal requirements.
So far, so good. What is the agreement’s broader significance? It is one more step on the way to Belgrade’s acceptance of the Pristina authorities as the legitimate government on the undivided territory of Kosovo, whatever the status of that territory is. It is also a step by Pristina towards problem-solving cooperation with Belgrade.
It is not however more than that. There is still a long way to go in achieving the kind of cooperation, and mutual respect, that will allow both Serbia and Kosovo to proceed in their ambitions to join the European Union.
Is it enough to gain Belgrade candidacy status for the EU? On the merits, I think not: this is far short of Chancellor Merkel’s demand that Belgrade dismantle its parallel structures in northern Kosovo and give up on partition. There may of course be additional assurances on those points, but I would want to hear them said out loudly and unequivocally, if not signed and sealed, before accepting them as dispositive. If the EU decides to go ahead without those assurances, it will only be harder to get them in the future.
Share this, I'll really appreciate it:
8 thoughts on “A step forward, but only one”
Comments are closed.
RSS - Posts
“If the EU decides to go ahead without those assurances, it will only be harder to get them in the future.”
Definitely. Cooper said that once Prishtina (finally) agrees to a provision, it sets about implementing it without further ado; when Serbia agrees to something, it is only a first step – then the negotiations on whether they will implement it begin.
One of the local Serb leaders seemed to be getting into the spirit of cooperation yesterday when he urged the Kfor troops to allow people to continue removing the barricades even after visibility declined to a point where work was getting dangerous. With the recent rain and snow, he said, the alternate routes have become impassable and people are having real problems getting to work.
All this is a double-edged sword. As a clearly pro-Western resident of Serbia, I would, of course, be happy to see my country advancing toward the membership in not only the EU but NATO, as well. On the other hand, I do not want Serbia to smuggle itself into the EU in the way that European policymakers continue to deliberately turn a blind eye to Serbia’s repeated misconduct for rather tactical, short-term reasons. To the contrary, I want Serbia to really deserve being a member of the European family and the West in general by substantially and systemically modifying itself as a society in the right direction. Otherwise, Serbia’s officially proclaimed goal of joining the EU doesn’t make much sense, does it?
As for the specific question of whether Serbia should be given candidacy for the EU at this point or not, I am not sure what the best answer, if any, might be. If Serbia failed to gain the status at a time that overall euro-enthusiasm of its population is declining rapidly, it could stimulate many within Serbian political elite to reconsider their (at least nominally) still pro-European orientation and thus, step by step, again resort completely to rudimentary ethno-nationalism of the recent past in order to strengthen their political position domestically.
At the same time, if Serbia was allowed to gain the candidacy undeservedly, we cannot expect that Belgrade is going to ever stop behaving irresponsibly. Accordingly, the best possible solution at the moment could be that the decision on Serbia’s candidate status be delayed for a couple of months – and in any event before the elections are held – so as to give Serbia an opportunity to meet all the requirements unconditionally and thus prove both its capability and readiness to genuinely improve its overall image.
Basically I agree – except for the time frame. Is a couple of months really going to be enough to meet all the requirements the EU has set, including “good neighborly relations” with Kosovo? (Postponement seems the most likely outcome today, what with German soldiers still recuperating.) But in a couple of months some other hitch in Serbian-Kosovar relations is likely to arise – exactly how close to the customs posts can the Kosovo flag be raised? – e.g.), and these will almost certainly continue until Serbia finally agrees to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty, at least de facto. (Is this what Tadic is asking for, in wanting to go back to the once-rejected 2 Germanies model?)
But what would be the worst that could happen if the candidacy is simply shelved until there’s a breakthrough – borders, electricity, power, return of museum holdings – everything would be immeasurably simpler then, and probably no big problem for the EU to treat as “in the process of being dealt with.” Ok, the nationalists (supported by the power ministries, the Church, certain political parties and the football clubs) come to power – and then what? Either they recognize that Serbia can’t simply turn its back ostentatiously on Europe and focus on improving life in Serbia rather than meeting EU requirements, or they give the country a chance to enjoy isolation, again. Maybe the next time the liberal-ish parties get power, they’ll be able to do so without ceding the patriotic argument to the retros, and be able to act without constantly looking over their shoulder. Unfortunately, getting to that point is apt to be unpleasant for the people who actually live in the country, especially the people outsiders are most concerned about.
I understand what you are implying and I agree, but the fact is that, unfortunately, things are never simple with Serbia. While it would be very much inadvisable to reward Serbia with, at this point, obviously undeserved candidacy, it would be at least equally inadvisable to risk discouraging Serbia from pursuing the pro-European agenda in the years ahead. Not only because it would be detrimental to the interests of Serbia, but because it could also have an adverse effect on a broader region and, by extension, on the very EU, given Serbia’s well-known inclination, but also – more importantly – the ability to cause a lot of trouble to its neighborhood whenever it’s left to its own fate. That’s why the West is all along struggling so much to strike the right balance between carrot and stick when dealing with Serbia.
The message is easier to take from you than from Little Slobo, who is today saying that the decision is a test not only of Serbia’s, but of the EU’s, maturity. Can we agree the EU should hold out for at least implementation of the agreements already reached with Prishtina? Shading the behavior requirements because of the potential danger a country could pose to others goes against the grain, but then, that’s why we pay diplomats, to do the necessary but distasteful.
Amer: “Can we agree the EU should hold out for at least implementation of the agreements already reached with Prishtina?”
Of course that I agree with you on that. Moreover, I think that the EU has been excessively lenient with Serbia so far, not only on the issue of Kosovo but in general.
However, it is not so without a reason. A basic interest of the Western powers concerning the Balkans is to make the region as stable and peaceful as possible. It is at the same time ironic and logical that Serbia is viewed by the West as both the main troublemaker and the backbone of the regional peace and stability. The irony lies in the fact that Serbia can frequently find itself in the position to misuse its troublemaking potential to get some undeserved privileges from the West; on the other hand, those privileges contribute to Serbia’s continued inability and reluctance to develop into a modern and civilized country. I am personally far from happy about that, but it is simply a curse of geopolitical reality in many places around the world, and so too is in the Balkans.
i always hated that principle of carrot and stick. it always strengthened nationalists and among ‘pro-west’ people only the worst would surface. if serbia wants to become not only member of respectable eu countries and eu and it has to become country like that. neither stick nor carrot should be necessary if one wants to become organized democracy as much as possible corruption free where rule of the law is above all. every government that loves their citizens should aspire toward those ideals. carrot and stick basically implies that they’re dealing with primitive tribe(s) and though that’s basically true by the very fact that such a method has to be applied for politicians to sort out the country i think that stating if you want to eu you must become compatible with eu. listening to djelic that speaks of requirements that come from eu for country to become better as a pressure or e.g. speaking of requirements for apprehending war criminals speaks all about matter. i don’t want someone in my company who thinks that me requiring of him to arrest war criminals, reduce corruption and be constructive in its relationship with neighbors as a pressure is someone who will never “get it” and became responsible. until people and gov in serbia don’t understand that every requirements that comes from eu isn’t pressure but something they ought to come up with in the first place they’re unwanted. i live with this people and i know what i speak about. until “noz-zica-srebrenica” is eradicated from serbia and among serb as a people that nation has as much place in eu as nazi germany.
About the “noz-zica-srebrenica” it’s impossible to disagree – or would be, if all Serbs joined in the chanting. But obviously, they don’t. The good guys need some support, they have to be able to show that there are objective reasons (accession funds, for example) to change behavior. The problem so far is that there seem to have been more carrots offered, and on better terms than to some other countries, for very modest improvements. I remember one Serb at a forum saying that while the carrot-and-stick treatment was embarrassing, it was the only reason there had been any progress at all in the country.