Journalist and publicist Enver Robelli has criticized what he calls the European Union's double standard in dealing with issues related to the rights of communities in the Western Balkans. According to him, European diplomacy has been very active in protecting the rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo, but has not reacted to the tendencies that, according to him, aim to exclude the Albanian language from institutional use in North Macedonia.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Robelli praised the commitment of European representatives to the rights of Serbs in Kosovo, emphasizing that it is "very good that the EU mediator, Peter Sorensen, is committed to making the lives of Kosovo Serb citizens as easy as possible," alluding to today's visit by the Danish diplomat to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, where they agreed to create facilities for the Serbian community in the Law on Foreigners.
He also mentioned the reactions of ambassadors of major European countries, saying that it is positive that European diplomacy is showing concern for the rights of the Serbian minority in Kosovo and that the EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has also shown attention to this issue.
However, Robelli stressed that there is “a big difference with the EU’s silence” when it comes to the use of the Albanian language in North Macedonia’s institutions. According to him, in this country, about 30 percent of the population is Albanian, while recently there was mention of the possibility that traffic fines issued by the police would only be in Macedonian and English, “not in Albanian.”
Recently, the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia rejected the use of Albanian in traffic fine messages.
Robelli emphasizes that for about 3 percent of Serbs in Kosovo there is a great mobilization of European diplomacy, while for Albanians in North Macedonia there is a lack of reaction from the main European centers.
"For 3 percent Serbs in Kosovo, we have a major mobilization of all European diplomacy... But for 30 percent Albanians in North Macedonia, is anyone from Brussels, Berlin, Paris or Skopje talking?" he asks.
Robelli also mentions the lack of reaction from various European officials and institutions, including the EU's chief diplomat, ambassadors of major countries in Skopje, EU institutions, but also the governments in Kosovo and Albania.
"The EU can only be credible if it is committed without distinction to the rights of all non-majority communities in the Balkans. If it makes exceptions, then credibility approaches zero," Robelli wrote in the end.
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