Kosovo is unique case, there are no double standards - EU

Kosovo is unique case, there are no double standards - EU

Speaking about the European Commission's position, presented the day before, that Kosovo and Catalonia are "incomparable cases," Kocijancic on Tuesday told Tanjug that "there are no double standards."

"Kosovo is a sui generis case," she went on.

"As the Council (European Council) has confirmed, Kosovo is a sui generis case and as such cannot be compared to any other situation. There are no double standards. International law must be universally applied and the EU fully respects it," Kocijancic's written reply sent to Tanjug.

Kocijancic did not directly respond to the agency's question about "what kind of political message the EU was sending to candidate countries, in particular to Serbia, with the view that 'Spain is a member state' - and that 'therefore, the cases of Kosovo and Catalonia are incomparable'."

Namely, she reiterated the view that Serbia and the Western Balkans have a "clear EU perspective" which was "confirmed by the European Council and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in his 'State of the Union' speech."

"We expect to welcome Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic next week in Brussels, when we will continue talks on new steps on the EU path of Serbia," concluded Kocijancic.

The statement about Catalonia and Kosovo being "incomparable," made on Monday, a day after the Catalan independence referendum by an EC spokesperson, caused strong reactions from Serbia's top officials, with President Aleksandar Vucic calling an urgent meeting.

It was decided during the meeting that when she travels to Brussels, Brnabic would take with her a letter asking the EU whether there was "one international law applicable to the EU, and another international law applicable to all other countries which are not members of the EU."

On Tuesday, First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic dismissed a claim made by the EC spokesperson about "various UN declarations and various UN resolutions and the international community" confirming that Kosovo is "a specific case."