Brussels Agreements: Is Serbia recognizing Kosovo step by step?
Brussels Agreements: Is Serbia recognizing Kosovo step by step?

Summary/Abstract: Under the auspices of the EU, Pristina and Belgrade negotiate in Brussels since 2011 for the normalization of their bilateral relations. Over the years, various agreements were reached on specific disputes as the parties move toward the most sensitive issue: Kosovo’s political status. This study examines whether the prevailing trend in the negotiations, so far, could indicate the most likely solution for Kosovo’s final status at the end of the process. The pivot around which the research piece revolves is the “First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations” (First Agreement) by which Serbia endorses Kosovo’s independent integration in the EU, that is afforded only to sovereign states. After analyzing the legal implications of this and other agreements, and using qualitative research methods, the author ascertains that Serbia, step-by-step, with every new agreement, acknowledges to the government in Pristina a clear legal and political authority over the entire territory of Kosovo. There is not a single agreement reached in Brussels in which Serbia does not anticipate the status of an independent entity for Kosovo. This agreement-by-agreement micro-recognition approach de facto lays the groundwork for the final macro-diplomatic recognition of Kosovo by the end of the negotiations.

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