By Anne-France White - 28th March 2007
The EU is planning its largest-ever civilian crisis management mission in Kosovo in coming months, Olli Rehn has announced.
The EU’s enlargement commissioner told the European parliament that the EU will send 2000 personnel to Kosovo once the province’s status is determined.
Rehn added that international grants of up to €1.5bn may be required to help Kosovo in the first three years after the final status of the Serb province is determined.
The funds will be needed to cover Kosovo’s share of the Yugoslav debt, help implement the region’s status, boost economic development and pay for the massive international presence.
“Resources cannot come from the EU budget alone. EU member states and our international partners must share the responsibility,” Rehn said.
Kosovo’s fate is far from settled; the EU and US are backing a proposal by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari to grant the province eventual independence from Serbia with initial EU supervision.
But Serbia opposes independence for the region – Belgrade is being supported by Russia, which could veto any settlement at the UN’s Security Council in the vote due to be held before the end of May.
An internal EU report says the four month transition period during which the UN will hand responsibilities to the EU could be “highly sensitive in political and security terms”.
Meanwhile the European parliament on 29 March adopted a report by Green MEP Joost Lagendijk backing Ahtisaari’s recommendation to give Kosovo “supervised independence”.
During the debate, most MEPs agreed that the status quo is not an option, with German conservative MEP Doris Pack arguing that "the Ahtisaari plan is the only available basis for a peaceful co-existence of ethnic Serbs and Albanians".
Lagendijk said he welcomed parliament’s “unequivocal support for an independent status for Kosovo”, adding that “EU member states must now follow suit”.
“Independence is the only realistic solution for the province and the UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari has recognised this in his report to the Security Council,” he said.
“An unambiguous European stance is vital to ensure the successful outcome of negotiations in the UN.”
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