The Council of the European Union appointed Mr. Peter Sørensen as EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues in January 2025. The mandate of the EU Special Representative is to achieve comprehensive normalisation of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, improve good neighbourly relations and reconciliation between partners in the Western Balkans, helping them overcome the legacy of the past, enhance the EU’s visibility and effectiveness through public diplomacy, and contribute to the consistency and effectiveness of EU action in the Western Balkans.

EEAS Councillor Robert Cooper initially facilitated the Dialogue at senior officials' level from March 2011 to March 2012. From October 2012 the Dialogue was facilitated at high political level by the EU  High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton (October 2012 – November 2014),Federica Mogherini (November 2014 – December 2019); and by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Josep Borrell (December 2019 – December 2024) and Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák (April 2020 – January 2025). 

The Dialogue is at the heart of the EU engagement in the Western Balkans and fully conceived, designed and led by the European Union. It was launched following the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution 64/298 (2010): “[The General Assembly] welcomes the  readiness  of  the  European  Union  to  facilitate  a  process  of  dialogue between the parties; the process of dialogue in itself would be a factor for peace,  security and  stability in  the  region,  and  that  dialogue  would  be  to  promote  cooperation,  achieve  progress  on  the  path  to  the  European  Union  and  improve  the  lives of the people”. 

In this spirit the EU also continues to work closely with other international stakeholders.