MEPs call for targeted measures against Serbian government over Banjska

The joint motion for a resolution which N1 had exclusive access to “calls on the Commission and the Council to take measures against the Serbian Government if investigations reveal that the Serbian State was directly involved in the Banjska terrorist attack or the violent attacks that took place in the north of Kosovo in May 2023, or if the Serbian authorities are unwilling to cooperate fully”.

It condemned “in the strongest possible terms the hideous and cowardly terrorist attack on Kosovan police officers by Serbian well-organised paramilitaries in Banjska/Banjskë in the north of Kosovo … and calls on all EU Member States that have not already done so, to also condemn the attack”.

The draft resolution called the European Commission to freeze funding to Serbia under IPA III and called the European Council to adopt targeted restrictive measures, including but not limited to asset freezes and travel bans, against destabilizing actors in northern Kosovo and the heads of major organized crime networks.

It urged all sides to to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo and avoid any rhetoric or action that would lead to increased tensions. The MEPs want the facts about the armed incident established and the perpetrators held accountable. It called the Kosovo authorities to disclose all the evidence regarding the incident so that international institutions in Kosovo, including EULEX, can assess the evidence and urged Serbia to fully cooperate with the investigations and to bring those responsible for the attack and currently residing in Serbia to justice in accordance with the law, including their extradition to Kosovo.

The draft resolution called Serbia to withdraw all the military forward bases located near the border with Kosovo and equipment, including anti-aircraft systems and heavy artillery units and refrain from any disproportional military deployment in the area in the future and to avoid any support to terrorist formations in the north of Kosovo. It warned that “aggressive military behaviour, together with a radicalised political messaging in Serbia and strong indications of the involvement of the Serbian state in the recent political violence in the north of Kosovo indicate a very dangerous, but a coherent policy of the Serbian government vis-à-vis Kosovo and its Western partners”.

It also called on Serbia to refrain from any further escalation that undermines the constitutional order of Kosovo, and to prevent any smuggling of weapons across the border. The MEPs also urged the Kosovo authorities to work towards open trade for all civilian goods and services.

The draft resolution was signed by the EPP Group, S&D Group, Renew Group, Greens/EFA Group and ECR Group.