European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell  called on Kosovo Serb citizens to be allowed to take part in a January 16 referendum on constitutional changes in Serbia.

In a post on Twitter, he said that he had had talks with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuçi lidhur, regarding “the collection of votes in Kosovo for the constitutional referendum to be held on Sunday in Serbia.” Voting in the past has been facilitated by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Citizens must be able to exercise their right to vote,” he wrote.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in a telephone conversation with Mr. Borrell said that “Serbs in Kosovo who have dual citizenship can vote in the referendum in Serbia by mail or at the liaison office in Pristina. “A referendum in the sovereign territory of another state is not an accepted practice in any democratic country,” he wrote.

On Sunday, January 16, Serbia holds a referendum in which its citizens will declare themselves to the question “are you in favor of confirming the act amending the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia?”.

The changes concern the judiciary and are part of Serbia’s efforts to move closer to European structures. EU officials say Serbia’s constitutional changes should ensure an independent judiciary, without political influence.

Belgrade intends for Kosovo Serbs to take part in the referendum. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that not allowing a referendum to be held in Serb-majority areas in Kosovo “will have long-term consequences beyond what Albanians and the international community think”.

Belgrade has called on Western diplomats to exert influence over Pristina and urged the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to treat the referendum in the same way as it did with Serbia’s Kosovo elections.

The mission of this organization in Kosovo said that “it received an official request from the Serbian government on December 20 to conduct an operation to collect votes for the January 16 referendum. “The mission has notified the Government of Kosovo and offered to carry out such an operation in the same conditions as it was done for the Serbian parliamentary elections of June 2020. These conditions include the consent of both parties”, it is said in a response of the OSCE to Voice of America.

Kosovo has not prevented participation in the Serbian elections in Serb-majority areas in Kosovo, but authorities say there is a difference between a country’s elections and internal affairs, such as Sunday’s referendum in Serbia.

Authorities in Pristina say Serbia would have to change its constitution to remove entry, which states that Kosovo “is an integral part of Serbia’s territory”.

In 2015, Aleksandar Vuçiç, while serving as the Prime Minister of Serbia, told The Wall Street Journal that he was considering the possibility of constitutional changes by the end of 2017, which could include removing the definition of Kosovo as part of Serbia ”.

The warning, which was never implemented, was part of Serbia’s efforts to speed up the European integration process.

It opened negotiations for EU membership following agreements reached in the negotiation process to normalize relations with Kosovo in 2013, whose independence it continues to oppose.

/Klara Ruci/