European Politics and Society The consequences of state non-recognition: the cases of Spain and Kosovo (original) (raw)
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Kosovo-Spain Relations and the Dilemmas on the Problem of Non-Recognition
SEEU Review, 2019
Eleven years after Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence, Spain’s position vis-à-vis Kosovo has not only not varied, but it has become stronger, turning Madrid into the leader of the Kosovo non recognizers club within the EU. This paper analyses Kosovo-Spain relations in the last eleven years. More specifically, the paper examines the reasons behind the non-recognition of Kosovo and the approach of the Spanish governments toward Kosovo’s statehood. This is followed by a thorough analysis on how Kosovo’s path for self-determination played a major role in Catalonia’s quest for independence in 2017. The empirical research demonstrates that Spain’s main reason not to recognise Kosovo is based on the country’s internal dynamics; namely, Catalonia and the Basque country. Likewise, the paper argues that the Spanish governments throughout the last eleven years have created an analogy between Kosovo and Catalonia; not in their political statements, but in their political decisions,...
Why does Spain not recognize Kosovo? Emotions and national history as a reason for caution
Why does Spain not recognize Kosovo as an independent country? Strategic interests, military alliances, ideological reasons? Or are there maybe emotional and historical factors that influence Spain’s position? In this research paper, I have applied constructivist theory to foreign policy and national identity analysis to explain Spain’s stance on Kosovo. The paper establishes a link of consequences, but not of premises, to the Catalan and Basque peripheral national movements. The paper has been written for the History, Emotions & International Politics research seminar, part of the MA in International Relations, at the University of Groningen.
A Change of Winds or Business as Usual? Non-Recognising EU Member States’ Attitudes Towards Kosovo
Foreign Policy Review, 2022
Kosovo celebrates the 15 th anniversary of its declaration of independence in 2023. Although Europe's youngest country is alive and well, it sometimes faces difficulties in international relations. As of 2022, 22 out of 27 EU member states have recognised Kosovo as an independent state, while Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain still have not done so. There are geopolitical, economic, and ethnic aspects behind the decision of non-recognition among these five countries, to protect the stability of their own statehood, as except for Greece, they all share fears of secessionism. This paper provides an overlook of Pristina's opportunities in the global arena of international politics, focusing on the relations between Kosovo and the five non-recogniser EU member states between 2008 and 2022. Their position on granting recognition to Kosovo has remained the same; however, while attitudes in Greece, Romania, and Slovakia have shifted towards the softer side of non-recognition, Spain and Cyprus remain hard opposers.
ILIRIA International Review, 2017
Act of Recognition is the matter regulated by international law. After declaration of independence, Kosovo’s path toward EU integration is going to be problematic for Kosovo institutions and challenging for EU foreign policy. Even though Kosovo was recognized by major international actors as sui generis case, some of them see this case as precedent and harmful for supposed developments within their jurisdictions, especially by 5 EU not recognizing countries. The article aims to justify the proclamation of independence by Kosovo institutions and to analyze the possible negative effects deriving from non-recognition policy for Kosovo and its new fragile democracy, hampering the democratic peace. The policy of minor EU member states, contesting Kosovo’s statehood based on the assumption that the act of recognition will open a dangerous path for secession-minded national minorities in their own countries, taking into account that through (non)recognition, states attempt to continue or...
Czech Journal of International Relations
This edited volume explores the different ways in which members of the European Union have interacted with Kosovo since it declared independence in 2008. While there is a tendency to think of EU states in terms of two distinct groups – those that have recognised Kosovo and those that have not – the picture is more complex. Taking into account also the quality and scope of their engagement with Kosovo, there are four broad categories of member states that can be distinguished: the strong and weak recognisers and the soft and hard non-recognisers. In addition to casting valuable light on the relations between various EU members and Kosovo, this book also makes an important contribution to the way in which the concepts of recognition and engagement, and their relationship to each other, are understood in academic circles and by policy makers.
2017
Four years after Kosovo declared its independence, the five EU member states that do not recognise it risk being cornered into a defensive situation in the EU, despite their numerous concessions, and left with the threat of veto as their trump card on Kosovo issues. Thanks to the agreement between Belgrade – Pristina on denomination, the five countries now have the opportunity to rethink their objectives and strategy, and to play out their non-recognition in a new way, which allows them to be not just constructive, as they have proved to be in the past, but proactive and strategic. To seize the opportunity, they should:
The Internal and External Factors: EU Contestation in Kosovo as a Peripheral Country
Krytyka Prawa, 2024
Kosovo, as a peripheral country in the context of the EU integration process, remains a potential candidate country with one of the most isolated populations in the Western Balkan region. The citizens of Kosovo are still unable to travel to EU countries without a visa. Unfortunately, this process has been a condition with Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, facilitated by the EU. This article assesses the influence of both processes, from the internal and external perspective, on the contestation of the EU's actress among different actors in Kosovo-political elites, experts, and citizens. An analysis of existing relevant research, statistical data of national and international organizations, and above thirty media articles published between 2015 and 2023, shows a decline in Kosovo citizens' trust in the EU from 89% in 2015 to 73% in 2022, and lately a substantial drop with only 42%.
Lack of Engagement? Surveying the EU Member State Policies towards Kosovo
Kosovo Foundation for Open Society - KFOS, Pristina, Kosovo, 2017
Kosovo’s declaration of independence, in February 2008, resulted in a deep division within the European Union. While 23 members recognised Kosovo, five refused to accept its statehood. At the time, many observers expected the non-recognisers to fall into line eventually and accept Kosovo. However, in the decade since then, that has not happened. If anything, the picture has become more complex. Rather than two distinct camps, four broad groups now exist. First, there are the countries that have recognised Kosovo, and have forged meaningful relations with it. These include Britain and Germany and most of the other members of the EU. At the other end of the scale there are the states that still refuse to recognise Kosovo, and continue to have very little to do with it. Spain and Cyprus fall into this category. However, between those two poles lie two other factions. Although Greece, Romania and Slovakia have refused to recognise Kosovo, they have nevertheless forged relatively good relations with Pristina. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic and Poland, while recognising Kosovo, have in fact had relatively little diplomatic interaction with Kosovo authorities over the past ten years.