Kosovo independence question could divide the EU

The EU faces the prospect of further divisions over Kosovo as a compromise deal on the province’s status that is emerging at the United Nations would leave open the question of recognising its independence.

Proposals under discussion at the UN Security Council, designed to bridge divisions between Russia and the EU and US, would allow states to decide for themselves whether to recognise an independent Kosovo.

Some EU member states, such as the UK and France, are keen on recognising Kosovo’s independence while others hold back, calling into question a planned EU mission to Kosovo.

The EU has said it will send a 1,600-strong police mission to Kosovo as well as a delegation that would have the power to veto legislation put forward by the Kosovo government.

Despite doubts from Spain, Romania, Italy, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus, the Union has managed to sustain its common position in sup-port of UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s proposals to give Kosovo independence supervised by the EU.

But one senior EU diplomat said that the common position did not extend to the question of recognising Kosovo’s independence.

EU member states have yet to discuss their response to a potential declaration of inde-pendence from Kosovo.

One diplomat said: "The EU members of the Security Council should come to some common position."

Yesterday (30 May) Ahtisaari warned that independence of the province was inevitable.

"I think Kosovo is going towards independence in any case. The options are simple: to have as organis-ed a solution as possible, or a chaotic one," he said.

Kosovo’s leaders have said that they will declare independence before the end of the year, whatever the UN Security Council decides.

One diplomat from a member state that is sceptical about Ahtisaari’s proposals said that the EU’s mission would not be called into question by different decisions on recognising Kosovo’s independence.

Others are more sceptical. Alex Anderson, a Pristina-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said that the EU mission could survive limited dissent, if the member states not recog-nising Kosovo’s independ-ence were "a minority", but not a full-scale rift between EU members.

The EU faces the prospect of further divisions over Kosovo as a compromise deal on the province’s status that is emerging at the United Nations would leave open the question of recognising its independence.