EU Statement – UN Security Concil Briefing on UNMIK (Kosovo)

EU Statement - UN Security Concil Briefing on UNMIK (Kosovo)

9 April 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by H.E. Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council Briefing on Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998), 1239 (1999) and 1244 (1999)

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President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, the Republic of Moldova, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement.

President,

First, I wish to congratulate SRSG Due on his appointment, and to thank him for his briefing today as well as for the report.

President,

The European Union remains fully and unequivocally committed to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans.

The European Union welcomes that Serbia and Kosovo* remain engaged in the EU-facilitated Dialogue, led by High Representative Kaja Kallas and supported by EU Special Representative Peter Sørensen. The agreement reached on 14 March on civil registration and the Law on Foreigners marks an important way forward. The EU welcomes the overall commitment by Kosovo to the Rule of Law. Any process affecting health and education institutions should be inclusive and coordinated with representatives of the Kosovo Serb community, within the framework of all relevant agreements reached within the EU-facilitated Dialogue and Kosovo law. Progress on normalisation of their relations is among the essential conditions for the European path of both Kosovo and Serbia. This includes the full implementation of the 2023 Agreement on the Path to Normalisation and all previous agreements reached in the EU-facilitated Dialogue. The European Union commends the Parties for the progress achieved on the important humanitarian issue of missing persons, by holding the first trilateral meeting of the Joint Commission on Missing Persons under the Dialogue. Looking ahead, the EU expects both Kosovo and Serbia to constructively participate in a High-level Meeting of the Dialogue chaired by High Representative Kallas, once called.

We call on Kosovo to finalise formation of all institutions to allow for a renewed focus on the much-needed EU-related reforms.

The European Union welcomes the smooth handover of local governance in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo and the cooperation between security actors, including with EULEX, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. The EU welcomes the good cooperation with UNMIK. We also welcome the resumption of cooperation between municipal and central authorities that reflects the expectations of Kosovo Serbs, previous agreements, and Kosovo law. We reiterate the importance of and our support for the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Dans ce contexte, nous appelons à nouveau les autorités de Serbie à répondre aux demandes de coopération judiciaire du Kosovo et à encourager le retour des juges, procureurs et policiers Nous appelons aussi les autorités du Kosovo à mettre en œuvre leur réintégration.

L'Union européenne regrette enfin que la Serbie n'ait toujours pas pris les mesures nécessaires afin de traduire en justice les responsables des attaques dans le nord du Kosovo en 2023.

Thank you, President.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

1. * North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.