Preserving Peace Through Normalisation: Kosovo- Serbia Relations in Focus

The normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina remains a crucial process for peace, stability and reconciliation in Kosovo and Serbia. Despite the importance of the normalisation dialogue, communities on both sides continue to face tensions, uncertainty and competing narratives regarding the implementation of commitments reached through the dialogue. In this context, access to reliable, independent and evidence-based information is essential for enabling citizens and communities to understand the progress of the process, assess the implementation of commitments and engage meaningfully in discussions about their future. Civil society can play a particularly important role in this regard by independently monitoring the dialogue, bringing community concerns to the attention of decision-makers, and creating opportunities for dialogue and mutual understanding between residents of Kosovo and Serbia.

The project seeks to contribute to peacebuilding and reconciliation through civil society-led monitoring of the Belgrade-Pristina normalisation dialogue. By involving civil society representatives, young people, experts and journalists from Kosovo and Serbia, the project will create opportunities for informed exchange and cross-community dialogue, while strengthening the capacity of participants to engage in peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts. Through independent monitoring and the dissemination of evidence-based findings and recommendations, the project will also strengthen civil society’s role in promoting accountability and ensuring that relevant stakeholders, including EU institutions, are better informed about developments and concerns related to the normalisation process.

The project has two specific objectives: first, to enable independent, evidence-based civil society monitoring of the Belgrade-Pristina normalisation dialogue and ensure that its findings inform key stakeholders, including EU actors; and second, to strengthen the capacities of young people and civil society representatives from Kosovo and Serbia to engage in cross-community dialogue, peacebuilding and reconciliation. To achieve these objectives, project partners will conduct research and analysis of progress in the dialogue, develop a Shadow Report assessing the implementation of normalisation commitments and providing recommendations to relevant decision- and policymakers, and organise a Winter School focused on strengthening participants’ knowledge and capacities for dialogue and reconciliation.

The initiative will bring together participants and perspectives from both Kosovo and Serbia, creating a platform for greater mutual understanding and the articulation of community concerns. The project will be implemented with the support of Sbunker from Pristina, whose involvement will contribute to strengthening the Kosovo perspective and facilitating engagement with civil society representatives and young people from Kosovo. The Winter School, “Bridging the Gap between Serbia and Kosovo”, will provide young people and civil society representatives with an opportunity to exchange perspectives, develop practical skills and engage with experts on issues related to the normalisation process. Its follow-up activities, including the production of papers, a webinar and the MladiRini publication, will further disseminate participants’ perspectives and sustain the dialogue beyond the School itself. At the final event in Belgrade, the Shadow Report, together with its main findings and recommendations for key stakeholders, will be presented.

Contact person: Ljubica Kovačević, Project Manager, ljubica.kovacevic@cep.org.rs