The leaders of France, Germany and Italy have called on Serbia to "exercise de facto recognition" of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 but which Belgrade still considers a Serbian province, Reuters reported.
Specifically, on October 27, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it was time for the parties to fulfill their previous commitments.
French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on October 12
European leaders also repeated a long-standing call for Kosovo leader Albin Kurti to form an association of Serb-majority municipalities in the north, giving local Serbs a degree of autonomy.
The joint statement by the three European leaders came after talks with both Serbia and Kosovo. The move also comes amid growing international concerns about the risk of renewed conflict between Serbia and Kosovo following a series of violent incidents in recent months.
Much of the tension has been centered in northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs make up the majority. The rest of Kosovo is predominantly ethnic Albanian.
Serbia and Kosovo have spent years in EU-brokered talks to resolve the situation. However, while tensions may have been temporarily quelled, the prospects for resuming dialogue remain dim, according to the Financial Times.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that he would not recognize Kosovo either formally or informally.
Why are ethnic tensions erupting in Kosovo?
While the EU has previously dodged the sensitive question of de facto recognition of Kosovo, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy have made it clear that this is what they expect Serbia to do, and have increased pressure on President Vucic to do so.
Regarding the fact that both Serbia and Kosovo want to join the EU, the bloc has affirmed that the two sides will need to resolve their differences before they can become members.
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