Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the deployment of EULEX
- On: 28.11.2008
The EU welcomes the consensus that was reached at the UN Security Council meeting yesterday, 26 November 2008, in favour of EULEX deployment throughout Kosovo and welcomes the adoption by the UNSC of a presidential statement in support of the reconfiguration initiated by the UN Secretary General.
The UNSC also underlined the international community's appreciation of the efforts of the EU in contributing to the stability of the Western Balkans by offering them a European perspective.
The EU takes the opportunity to recall the importance it attaches to regional stability. In this context it fully supports the European perspective of the Western Balkans and recalls the European Council Conclusions of 19/20 June 2008, according to which "Serbia can accelerate its progress towards the EU, including candidate status, as soon as all necessary conditions are met".
The EU welcomes the progress made in preparation for the deployment of the EULEX mission. It looks forward to the confirmation by the Belgrade authorities of their support for the mission. It welcomes the support of the Pristina authorities and the excellent cooperation between EULEX and the Kosovo institutions in the area of the rule of law. A close partnership between EULEX and the Kosovo institutions is essential for the success of the mission, as it is defined in Joint Action 2008/124/PESC.
In the implementation of its mandate, the EULEX Kosovo mission will fully respect UNSC Resolution 1244 (1999) and will operate under the general authority and within the status neutral framework of the UN.
The EU confirms that these developments pave the way to a prompt declaration of the initial operational capability of EULEX Kosovo. The mission must be in a position to assume rapidly its responsibilities Kosovo wide in cooperation with the relevant authorities and the other international organisations present on the ground.
The Candidate Countries Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
- Updated: 28.11.2008
