A COMPREHENSIVE AGENDA FOR THE NORTH: The New European Approach Policy Note No. 03/2011
Publisher: Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), Kosovo Date: October 2011 Volume: 8 pages, pdf Description Being conscious of the latest complex and challenging situation in the northern Kosovo, the European Commission has officially requested in its Enlargement Strategy 2011-2012 that Kosovo adopt ‘a comprehensive agenda for the north’. As it stands, in its part, the European Commission gave no further explanation on this ‘advice’, leaving it as a straightforward contention. Although many perceive this as a simple statement having hardly any effect, one should dare to analyse more profoundly the substance of this request of the European Commission. Therefore, this Policy Note will analyse the substantive meaning and the significance of the European Commission asking Kosovo to adopt a comprehensive agenda for the north, and hints on the possible policy options that could derive thereof. We argue that the comprehensive agenda, nevertheless, should be complemented with an increased pressure of the EU upon Serbia to halt financing and supporting parallel structures in Kosovo. Certainly, Kosovo’s Government must effectively lobby at the EU institutional and member states’ level to transform this in an explicit condition on Serbia’s European integration track.