OSCE Permanent Council No. 1566 - EU Statement in Response to the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Mr. Gerard McGurk

OSCE Permanent Council No. 1566

Vienna, 28 May 2026

EU Statement in Response to the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Mr. Gerard McGurk 

The European Union welcomes Ambassador McGurk and thanks him for his comprehensive report. We welcome the tangible results delivered across the spectrum of the OSCE Mission mandated areas and its contribution to a safe and secure, democratic, prosperous and multi-ethnic Kosovo. 

We welcome the Mission’s activities on promoting inter-community relations and stress the need for continued coordination with relevant stakeholders to protect the rights of persons belonging to minorities and persons in vulnerable situations. Engagement with civil society remains vital to enhance inter-ethnic relations and inter-municipal cooperation and to promote dialogue.

We commend the Mission’s continued assistance in strengthening Kosovo’s democratic institutions and enhancing public safety, the rule of law, and transparent and inclusive good governance, at all levels. We also value the contributions to enhancing Kosovo’s inter-institutional co-operation on security challenges and addressing possible risks related to trafficking in human beings, violent extremism leading to terrorism, organised crime and corruption, as well as hate crimes, attacks against journalists and public defamation campaigns. We appreciate the Mission’s contribution to the review of legal and policy acts and its engagement in the implementation of the EU-funded OSCE Regional Trial Monitoring Project in the Western Balkans. 

We welcome the smooth handover of local governance in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo following the 2025 local elections and the cooperation between security actors, including with EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). We call on Kosovo to fully implement the EU Election Observation and Expert Electoral Missions’ recommendations following the 2025 Assembly elections and take positive note of the progress made so far. Ahead of 7 June, we call on all political actors to promote and ensure the conduct of peaceful and inclusive elections, as well as on relevant Kosovo institutions to ensure the participation of all citizens and avoid any action that undermines a conducive environment for the elections. We expect swift finalisation of the formation of all institutions to allow for a renewed focus on the much-needed EU-related reforms. In this context, we welcome the ratification of the Agreements to the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans by the Kosovo Assembly in February 2026.   

The EU values the Mission’s monitoring and early warning efforts, particularly given the fragile and complex security environment in the north of Kosovo. We appreciate its continued good cooperation and coordination with partners on the ground, including the EUSR/EU Office in Kosovo, EULEX, KFOR, and the UN, in support of multilateral efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions and implementing obligations under the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

The EU continues to closely monitor developments in the north of Kosovo. We welcome the resumption of cooperation between municipal and central authorities that reflects the expectations of Kosovo Serbs, previous agreements, and Kosovo law. We call again on the Serbian authorities to respond to Kosovo's requests for judicial cooperation and to encourage the return of judges, prosecutors, and police officers. We underline the need to finalise the cases of the attack against KFOR troops in Zvečan, the Banjska/Banjskë attack and the Zubin Potok canal explosion and regret that Serbia has not cooperated in investigation and prosecution of these acts and has still not taken the necessary measures to bring those responsible to justice. 

We welcome the agreement reached on 14 March 2026 on civil registration and the Law on Foreigners, which marks an important way forward. Any process affecting health and education institutions should be inclusive and coordinated with representatives of the Kosovo Serb community, within the framework of all relevant agreements reached within the EU-facilitated Dialogue and Kosovo law. Progress on normalisation of their relations is among the essential conditions for the European path of both Kosovo and Serbia. This includes the full implementation of the 2023 Agreement on the Path to Normalisation and all previous agreements reached in the EU-facilitated Dialogue. We call on both sides to fully implement all obligations and past commitments without delay or preconditions. We welcome the progress achieved by Belgrade and Pristina on missing persons, by holding the first trilateral meeting of the Joint Commission on Missing Persons under the EU-facilitated Dialogue. 

Finally, EU remains determined to continue assisting Kosovo towards lasting stability and prosperity and committed to Kosovo’s European perspective. We wish you, Mr McGurk, and your team every success for the work ahead.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

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   This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.