Kosovo to implement decision for Council of Europe membership

Kosovo announced that it will implement the decision that will pave the way for Council of Europe membership

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in his statement at the cabinet meeting, said that they were doing their best to advance Kosovo’s membership process to the Council of Europe but that the Constitutional Court’s decision in 2016 that the 24-hectare area should be the property of the Decan Monastery was put forward as a condition of implementation.

Stating that they gave instructions from the Kosovo Cadastre Agency regarding the implementation of the decision that the 24-hectare area should become the property of the Decan Monastery, Kurti said, “After an intense meeting and visit process, some of the many conditions we have for becoming a member of the Council of Europe have been fulfilled, and some are non-urgent.” It became clear to us that they were listed as issues. What remains is to implement the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the Decan Monastery.”

Kurti stated that, as Kosovo’s prime minister, he did not like this strange and unfair decision taken in 2016 and that there were other lawsuits regarding the issue. Still, he emphasized that, as the government, they no longer had the legal opportunity to annul the Constitutional Court’s decision.

Stating that they sent a verbal note to the European Council regarding the implementation of the decision, Kurti said, “I will never change my attitude toward this harmful decision. On the other hand, Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe is a historic victory and an independent Kosovo’s accession to NATO and the European Union. It will be a giant step towards its recognition by the 5 EU countries that make EU membership possible.”

The Decan Monastery in western Kosovo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 14th century, claimed ownership of approximately 24 hectares of land around the facility. The Kosovo Constitutional Court found the monastery’s request legal in 2016.

Kosovo institutions refused to implement the decision because the justification for claiming ownership of the monastery was based on a decision made by former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s.

Kosovo’s Council of Europe membership process

Kosovo declared its unilateral independence from Serbia in 2008 and officially applied for membership in the Council of Europe on May 12, 2022, after Russia was removed from its membership.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe announced on May 24, 2023, that it approved Kosovo’s request for membership in the council and forwarded it to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). PACE experts prepared an opinion on Kosovo’s application.

Kosovo’s application for membership in the council is expected to be decided in the coming months.

Source: AA

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