Making Kosovo work. FRIDE.
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| Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images |
Just over a year on from the declaration of independence on 18 February 2008, Kosovo’s politics remain as uncertain as before. The divisions between the Albanian and Serb communities have if anything worsened, and tensions have been compounded by an uncoordinated international intervention that has become embroiled in Kosovo’s divided politics. Recent press comment has focused on the decision of some EU member states, such as Spain and the UK, to withdraw troops. But the real issues are more deep-seated. Unemployment in Kosovo continues to be above 40 percent, the highest in the region, and the current economic downturn is likely to intensify inter-ethnic tensions.
Democratic structures are weak and corruption widespread and there is concern about the government’s ability to manage majority-minority relations. In this Policy Brief, Sofia Sebastián explores how making Kosovo work requires the EU to reassess its current policies on the ground in Kosovo and towards Serbia. The EU needs to move beyond the dilemma of how to reconcile Serbia’s EU path with Kosovo’s independence and find a way to keep the accession machine moving forward for both Kosovo and Serbia, irrespective of the Kosovo stalemate. Good care should be taken not to reinforce partition by default.
http://www.fride.org/publicacion/586/making-kosovo
-work