[ Western Balkans and EU ]

In a paper on "Implementing the Ahtisaari Proposal: The European Union’s Future Role in Kosovo", published by the Centre for Applied Policy Research (CAP) of Munich University, Dominik Tolksdorf analyses the challenges the EU will be facing in Kosovo, comparing the role of the EU in Kosovo to the EU's role in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Tolksdorf sees the "Ahtisaari model" as more efficient than the "Bosnian model", as Kosovar politicians (most of them representing the majority community) will probably assume more responsibilities and ownership of the process. Nevertheless, some "lessons learned" from BiH must be taken into account in Kosovo:

In contrast to the Dayton and UNMIK models, the ICR should play the role of an "arbitrator" rather than that of a "proconsul".

The EU should pay special attention to the recruiting and training of personnel for the ESDP mission. The ESDP rule of law mission will be - for the first time in the history of the EU (= another lesson learned from BiH) - not only tasked with monitoring and mentoring, but also with executive policing tasks.

There will be a great need for co-ordination, and maybe the Kosovo mission will lead to the development of further co-ordination mechanisms: between the different EU pillars in Kosovo (there is often no clear dividing line between Pillar I Community assistance programmes, Pillar II civilian crisis management, and Pillar III justice co-operation programmes), the different institutions (Commission - Council), and between the different EU-related institutions/offices on the ground in Kosovo (UNMIK Pillar IV, EU Commission Liaison Office, European Agency for Reconstruction, EU Monitoring Mission, International Civilian Office, EU Planning Team)... and of course, co-ordination mechanisms between EU and non-EU institutions, e.g. EU police and KFOR in combatting organised crime.

According to D. Tolksdorf, "an essential precondition for the success of the Ahtisaari proposal is that the EU, and particularly its member states, must demonstrate a clear commitment to making Kosovo 'fit for Europe'" and provide the necessary political, financial, and human resources.