Serbian authorities are actively seeking to escalate pressure on the member countries of the Council of Europe to prevent them from supporting Kosovo’s bid for membership. Michael Martens, a journalist for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), references a proclamation by Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, in which he declared that Serbia would consider withdrawing from the Council of Europe should Kosovo gain admission. Martens raises the question of whether the Western nations will view this as a strategic maneuver or succumb to it.
This development elicited a response from Viola von Cramon, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Kosovo, who described Serbia’s stance as a strategic ploy. She confidently asserted that Serbia has no intention of exiting the Council of Europe. According to her everything is a bluff, which many experts see the same.
Ana Brnabic, the President of the Serbian National Assembly, also weighed in, pointing out that Kosovo has yet to form the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. This formation, she claims, is a stipulated prerequisite by European counterparts for any advancement on Kosovo’s part towards membership.
Brnabic challenges the integrity of these conditions by asking, “Have our European partners (and others) misled us?”
She firmly states that Serbia’s stance is not mere posturing. If the Council of Europe decides to disregard its own statutes and foundational values, engaging in what she terms hypocrisy and absurdity, Serbia finds no value in remaining a participant in such an institution.
Is it a bluff? Is Serbia on purpose playing on time to not anger the russians?
The full communication you can see below on X / Twitter