2014 Tougher for the Balkans–So Far
* By * Laurence Norman EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton worked hard to reconcile Serbia and Kosovo. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images While 2013 was a year of unusual progress for Serbia and Kosovo — both in developing bilateral ties and in steps towards European Union <http://topics.wsj.com/organization/E/EU/4624?lc=int_mb_1001> membership — 2014 has been grueling. Last December, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was buoyant about the reconciliation talks between Serbia and Kosovo, its former province that declared independence in 2008. A historic agreement was signed in April 2013 pledging to normalize the situation in the Serbian-dominated northern enclave of country where ethnic Albanians are in a majority. Ms. Ashton was eyeing a second agreement that could ramp up Pristina-Belgrade ties. There was even talk that Ms. Ashton and the Serbian and Kosovo leaders were in the running for a Nobel Peace prize. Acknowledging that progress, the EU agreed in June 2013 to start accession talks with Belgrade this year and embarked on a pre-accession accord with Kosovo. However, so far this year, progress has been sporadic at best. Elections in Serbia, for the European parliament and in Kosovo have drained some momentum, especially since Kosovo’s June vote has produced three months of political gridlock. A new Kosovo ballot could still be needed. With Ms. Ashton leaving office Oct. 31 with the current EU executive, no second Belgrade-Pristina agreement is in sight. True, Kosovo and the EU have initialed the pre-accession deal and hope to sign it this year. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has pushed some unpopular reforms at home to make progress in EU negotiations. But heady talk of completing membership talks within five years has transformed into recognition that the road to the EU is a long slog. Incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he foresees no new EU members during his five-year term. Still, there are glimmers of hope 2014 could end on a better note. Read the full story at wsj.com. <http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2014/09/24/2014-tougher-for-the-balkans-so-far/>
