The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will resume European Union-brokered normalization negotiations in Brussels today. Photo: Reuters

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will resume European Union-brokered normalization negotiations in Brussels today.

Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s foreign policy chief, is expected to lead talks. Anticipate discussions to focus particularly on guaranteeing greater self-governance for Kosovo’s Serbian communities. It remains doubtful that Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and Aleksandar Vucic will meet face to face, given the extent of their differences.

On May 29, around 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured defending three town halls in northern Kosovo during clashes with Serbian demonstrators. The clashes took place after Serbs living in northern Kosovo boycotted local elections. Soldiers from the KFOR contingent, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission, sustained trauma, fractures and burns from the explosion of incendiary devices. Although Kosovo declared independence in 2008, Serbia still considers Kosovo a breakaway province. Vucic has previously pledged to never recognize Kosovo or allow it to join the UN, a position also supported by Russia and China.

Amid persistent border disputes, expect tensions to remain high for the short-to-medium term. Pristina is unlikely to support greater self-determination for Serb municipalities. A temporary and fragile peace agreement—much like the one reached in October 2021—remains the only likely outcome of these talks.