Lack of EU Solidarity Jeopardizes Kosovo Independence
Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation Morton Abramowitz calls on EU member states to take a united stand on Martii Ahitissari’s blueprint for Kosovo’s “supervised independence” from Serbia. Even though Ahitissari’s proposal complies with the official EU (as well as US) policy on the issue, a number of European nations were still openly skeptical of challenging a country’s territorial integrity. This ambiguity might encourage Russia to take a stronger stand against an independent Kosovo and ultimately veto the Ahitissari plan in the UN Security Counsel. Abramowitz warns that a lack of UN backing would herald a new conflict-loaded era for the Balkans arising with Russia strengthening not only its role in the region but towards the European nations in general.
