"CSM is a must. Serbia will not give up, nor the EU"

"CSM is a must. Serbia will not give up, nor the EU"

Abrashi said that the demands for the formation of the CSM at this time from Belgrade have been strengthened due to the elections in Serbia next year.

"During the campaign, parties usually raise nationalist and populist tones and thus show their teeth more towards other parties. In this case, I do not expect the Serbian side to step out of the position to put the CSM issue on the agenda, and therefore I do not expect any progress."

"After the end of the election cycle in Serbia, the pressure will ease a bit, the parties will be invited and maybe the rapprochement of the parties' positions will be closer," Abrashi said on the "Desku" show on KTV.

According to him, there is no alternative to forming the Union of Serbian Municipalities.

"Since the CSM should be formed, I think there is no alternative. This is an agreement that the Republic of Kosovo signed in 2013, it was amended in 2015, the 2015 amendment provides for obtaining an opinion on the Constitution before the formation of the CSM. We received an opinion whether this is in line with the Constitution on this issue, some principles are seen as not in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and normally now we have to work on the next step, but I do not expect Serbia to back down from this position, nor that the EU will give up on this issue", Abrashi pointed out.

"CSM with executive powers is a risk"

Expert on the European integration, Besnik Vasolli, stated that according to the agreement from 2015, the Community of Serbian Municipalities is difficult to achieve, considering the decision of the Constitutional Court and that it represents a threat to stability in Kosovo, reports Koha.

"An agreement on the CSM with executive powers would be a risk, a cancer for the stability and well-being of our country and a possible impact in the regional aspect," Vasolli said. He added that dialogue with Serbia is important for Kosovo's progress towards the EU, but that there are other topics that should be taken into account.

"I understand that dialogue is important for the EU and the region in order to overcome the frozen conflict and speed up our path to the EU, but I would expect these meetings between Kosovo and the EU to focus more on large projects and investments that Kosovo could benefit from," Vasolli concluded.