In Kosovo, both parts, no matter if they “officially” recognize each other, entered a process of “pacification” – even far from a positive peace landscape and a proper confidence scenario – because one of the conditions was that: if you want to enter EU, then you must “dialogue”. Kosovo is not internationally recognized by the international community as such (104 out of 192 UN States), but has the right to negotiate its ASA (Association and Stabilization Agreement) with EU and effectively succeeded to get ASA in October 2015.

This has been an important step, as Kosovo is now in its second phase in the process of accessing the EU, especially after Kosovo got its EC approval for visa liberalization in April 2016. Kosovo should face European integration by own merits, visa liberalization reducing the amount of criminality, vulnerability, and finally European accession being consequence of getting a democratic profile, a functioning rule of law and a multi-ethnic environment. There will be no Kosovo without all human rights and a complete multi-ethnic environment.

Society in Kosovo needs, first of all, to dialogue, since dialogue is the only way to settle the problems and to face the issues when they raise. You see frozen conflicts all around the world, but if you want to remain frozen in Europe as well, this is not the ground to do, according to the international law. Dialogue should be the European path pre-requisite and the confidence building pre-assumption; dialogue should also be the starting point to achieve positive peace, to develop social opportunities and actively promote reconciliation.

That’s the reason why different social stakeholders are for dialogue, but with premises, after criteria are fulfilled. Kosovo succeeded in doing constructive compromises on specific issues. For example, the so-called “footnote-issue”: Kosovo will be represented in international sessions as Kosovo «without prejudice to positions on status and in line with the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 1244 (1999) and the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion (22 July 2010) on Kosovo Declaration of Independence»; the external representation of Kosovo; the re-establishing of Serb institutions in the form of a “Community of Serb Municipalities”, which is a promising step for authonomy and dialogue.

It’s not a formal but a substantial issue, since Kosovo already accepted the Athisaari Plan (the 2007 status proposal which, even not mentioning the word “independence”, included several provisions widely interpreted as implying statehood, as extensive self-government for Kosovo, such as the right to apply for membership in international organizations, to create a Kosovo Security Force and to adopt national symbols) and adopted it as a base for the Kosovo Constitution (2008), which declares the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” as «an independent, sovereign, democratic, unique and indivisible state», «a state of its citizens» and having «no territorial claims against and … no union with any State».

The decisive Bruxelles Agreements (2013) place themselves outside the prescriptions of the Athisaari pack and have a relevant value, since they open rooms for needs fulfilling and reciprocity restoring in a quite stable frame, “both sides” accepted. Nevertheless, the implementation of the agreements and the establishment of a territorially authonomous “Community of Serb Municipalities” will be not simple and the process of negotiating rounds is quite complicated, because both parts are pretty unsatisfied, there is a general perception of latent violence and permanent injustice, and also a common need to fix pre-conditions and criteria for dialogue, also to properly go on such a European path.

Newborn Monument, Prishtina

You see Serbia many steps forward in its road to EU, also thanks to the opening of the first Negotiation chapters (35 and 32) with EU, while Kosovo is a “newborn” State, so it needs years for institutions to consolidate properly and leadership to drive better. If politics will stand and politicians continue to act in the current way, it will be hard to see any step forward and to admire a mature awareness on rights and duties. The hope is in the future everything will go in a better way, Kosovo will go towards EU, respecting UN resolutions and international law; but it’s not simple Kosovo can effectively do that, according to the actual contradictions and the weakness in political leaderhip, democracy and rule of law.

Kosovo is a young society, has lots of youth and huge potential, especially in youth capacities to overcome the challenges. As Ibrahim Rugova said, «Kosovo richness relies onto youth and mines». Youth uses to think in a positive way, as problems are not threats but challenges, so you see Kosovo now to look into the future; but, to do so, Kosovo has to do on itself, to have more stable institutions and economy, to welcome the European values and goals, and to be “European” by own effective merits. In future, Kosovo democracy will improve, more people will join Kosovo society, with businesses to invest and organizations to share projects, backing multi-ethnic communities to overcome problems and issues.