The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, said that the EU is working to identify what has not worked in the stalemated EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia now that the European Union has appointed a new mediator.

“This is an ongoing process. We have a new EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Prishtina Dialogue [Peter Sorensen], and we will sit down with him to assess what is working and what is not. Without normalisation, neither of them can continue on their European path,” Kallas stated in a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday in Tirana.

Kallas, who dodged both Kosovo and Serbia in her first tour in the region as EU foreign policy chief, said that the normalisation process in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is crucial for their path toward EU integration. 

One day prior, during her visit to Montenegro, Kallas also said at a press conference in the capital Podgorica, that along with Sorensen are working “to identify mistakes in the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia-what works, what does not work, to revive the normalisation process.” 

Sorensen, who assumed his mandate in February 2025, told the media on a visit to Kosovo, on March 17, that “dialogue is about ensuring that meetings take place. Whether this will lead to compromises or not, is up to the parties to determine.”

The government of Kosovo is optimistic that with Sorensen’s mediation, the dialogue process can get back on track and focus on the path toward normalisation of relations with Serbia.

Kosovo’s government spokesperson, Përparim Kryeziu, told BIRN and Internews Kosova publication KALLXO.com on March 18, 2025, that the already agreed deals between Kosovo and Serbia must be fully implemented, ensuring fairness and impartiality in the process.

“Two years after what should have been the achievement and formalisation of the Basic Agreement and its Implementation Annex, Serbia continues to avoid signing and accepting them, and has shown a lack of willingness and commitment to work towards finalising the sequencing plan”, he said.

On March 18, 2023, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, the EU brokered a verbal deal between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, on a seven steps annex to implement the Basic Agreement on the normalisation of relations reached around one month prior in Brussels, Belgium. 

The February 27, 2025, deal provides that the two countries will establish “normal, good-neighbourly relations with each other on the basis of equal rights.” The deal comes a quarter of a century after Kosovo broke away from Serbia in war and 15 years since its declaration of independence.

“Both Parties shall mutually recognise their respective documents and national symbols, including passports, diplomas, licence plates, and customs stamps,” the first agreement stated. The subsequent implementation deal said both sides committed to implementing all their respective obligations “expediently and in good faith.”

However, except for some initial steps towards the implementation of an endorsed declaration on missing persons, this agreement has not been implemented.