The EU said Tuesday that if Serbia does not comply with its obligations arising from a deal to normalize ties with Kosovo, it would very negatively reflect on its membership process to the bloc.
EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano said Serbia's failure to comply with the agreement would have political reputational and financial consequences.
"Kosovo and Serbia have agreed to immediately start implementing all the provisions of the agreement, including the annex. That is what was agreed upon. Both sides made a political commitment,'' said Stano.
He said the provisions of the agreement and its annex will be included in the 35th chapter of the EU-Serbia accession negotiations.
"It means that Serbia has to implement the provisions of the agreement and its annex if it wants to make progress on the path to EU accession. So, there is an agreement, without choosing all the provisions. There is a commitment to implement it. It's also about the international reputation and credibility of each party,'' he said. "Otherwise it will have a very negative impact on Serbia's overall accession process," said Stano.
His remarks came in response to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said he would not implement all the obligations of the deal.
Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement Feb. 27 that Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels.
The agreement came after 12 hours of talks between Albanian Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Vucic and EU officials.
The parties later agreed how to implement the agreement in the last round of talks on March 18 in North Macedonia.
The 11-point agreement calls on the sides to maintain good neighborly relations and recognize each other's documents such as passports and license plates.
Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.
The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.
Most UN member states, including the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognized Kosovo as a separate country after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago. Serbia, however, continues to regard it as its territory.
