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Kosovo failed to complete its membership process in the Council of Europe, although it was expected to happen on Thursday, May 17.
Although in April, Kosovo received strong support from the Parliamentary Assembly of this institution for membership, through the approval of Dora Bakoyannis' report, things changed during this period.
The reason for this is the condition that powerful member states such as France, Germany and Italy have placed on Kosovo, by taking concrete steps towards the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.
On Thursday, the Government of Kosovo, through the chief diplomat Donika Gërvalla, announced that it is preparing a draft statute regarding the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, based on the proposal of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Gërvalla said that this draft statute will be submitted to the Constitutional Court for review by the end of this month. However, the member states considered the letter from the Government of Kosovo as late. They first demanded the formation of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, and after that, Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
The reactions of France and Germany have been commented by the professor of European Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the USA, David Kanin. He told the newspaper "Bota sot" that the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, is sticking to his principle and that he does not give up the sovereignty of Kosovo, nor for the country's membership in this organization.
"The sharp French and German reactions to Prime Minister Kurti's refusal to capitulate on the Association issue, even if it means failing to achieve membership of the Council of Europe, clearly reduce the chances of this happening. "Kurti would apparently stick to his principles and would not make a big concession to Kosovo's sovereignty for the sake of admission to a powerful European institution," said expert Kanin.
He also commented on Prime Minister Kurti's readiness to hold early elections.
According to him, the same would prove that he has the strong support of the people for the Association.
"Calling early elections in this context makes good sense if Kurti is convinced that he will win. An election victory would be powerful evidence of popular support for his hard line against the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. Of course, if he loses, the internationals will redouble their efforts to force Kosovo to finally implement the 2013 agreement", David Kanin emphasized.
The opposition parties are also demanding new parliamentary elections. According to PDK, the elections should be held no later than the summer months.
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