The permanent delegation of Serbia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has announced that an extraordinary meeting of the Political Committee of the Council of Europe is scheduled for March 27 to vote on the opinion of rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis regarding Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.

President Biljana Pantić-Pila emphasized that rapporteur Bakoyannis had three conditions for Kosovo’s admission to the Council of Europe. It was stated that Kosovo has fulfilled one of these conditions, namely the return of land to the Monastery of Decani.

“I might forejudge, but Bakoyannis intends to inform the Political Committee that there has been a change in Kosovo’s stand and one of the conditions has been met. Will she inform the members that this condition is sufficient and the others do not need to be met? I don’t want to speculate, but I cannot be confident after the announcement of the extraordinary meeting, as we have a meeting in Strasbourg on April 15 and we could have been notified on that day,” she said.

If the opinion of rapporteur Bakoyannis is presented to the Political Committee, then it is expected that the Kosovo dossier will be put to a vote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Kosovo requires a two-thirds majority vote in order for the question of membership in the Council of Europe to be addressed by the Committee of Ministers of member countries. The Committee of Ministers has the final authority to decide whether Kosovo will become a full member of this organization.

/k.s/