Representatives of the Kosovo Government and the European External Action Service and the European Commission met in Brussels to discuss developments over the past year in the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The discussion was held in the framework of the regular Stabilisation and Association Agreement which entered into force in April 2016.

In all areas, the European External Action Service, the European Commission and Kosovo agreed on the importance of implementing the agreements reached within the EU facilitated Dialogue.

Participants reviewed the progress made by Kosovo in the implementation of all past agreements, the ones from the co-called Technical Dialogue, as well as the High Level Dialogue. A particular focus was put on the implementation of the agreements reached in August 2015.

On the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities, Kosovo reiterated its commitment to implement this agreement. European External Action Service and European Commission stressed the importance for Kosovo to start the work on the drafting of the statute of the Association/Community without any further delay.

Both, Kosovo, as well as the European External Action Service and Commission underlined their satisfaction with the implementation of the agreement on Telecommunication in December 2016, which allowed Kosovo to get its own dial code and for a Serbian telecommunication company to be registered and licenced in Kosovo.

Both sides reviewed progress on the implementation of the agreement on the Mitrovica Bridge and expressed their expectation for the works on the bridge, its adjacent areas and King Petar Street to be completed as soon as possible for the benefit of citizens from all communities. The European External Action Service and the Commission expressed their expectation to have progress on the implementation of the agreement on Energy as soon as possible.

The European External Action Service and the European Commission reiterated that progress on Kosovo’s path towards the EU is firmly linked to progress in the Dialogue. They called on  Kosovo to remain constructively engaged in the process of normalisation of relations with Serbia. Kosovo reiterated its full commitment to the Dialogue process and to its European future.