Von der Leyen discusses Kosovo crisis with PM Kurti

“I stressed urgent need for de-escalation and return to EU facilitated dialogue on normalisation of relations with Serbia,” she wrote on Twitter, without going into the details of the conversation.

She said she would also discuss de-escalation of tensions with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic later in the day.

Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell briefed European Union (EU) foreign ministers Monday on the situation in the north of Kosovo and informed the public about the ministerial support for an EU proposal that would, according to the EU foreign policy chief, lead to a rapid de-escalation on the ground.

Borrell said early local elections in four northern Kosovo Serb majority municipalities need to be held immediately, with the participation of the Serb community. However, in order for this to happen, the EU is also requesting that the newly elected mayors of the four municipalities be relocated and that they carry out their duties from alternate locations, that the special police withdraw from the municipal buildings and that the barricades be removed.

He reiterated that Serbia and Kosovo are expected to accept this EU proposal, stressing that measures will be taken against them if they fail to take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation.

Borrell added that the EU political committee will begin discussing these measures already on Tuesday.