Kurti and Vucic: the odd couple who made oddity a science

The following are the four steps Kosovo should take, with the support of the EU, to break the impasse.

First, Borrell should work with Kurti and schedule new elections in the majority-Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo. This first step will dramatically reduce the tension between the ethnic Serbian communities and Pristina, which has been building up since the beginning of the year. It started with the license plate dispute, to the municipal elections that were boycotted by ethnic Serbs, to the violence that erupted following the failed elections. Kurti should make it clear time and again that he considers every person within the country's borders a Kosovar, and embrace the ethnic Serbs like any Albanian Kosovar, which is consistent with and required by the EU charter.

Second, Kurti should immediately begin creating the Association of Serb Municipalities, irrespective of whether or not Vucic reciprocates. Against this step, the leading EU member states, Germany, France, and Italy, should work diligently to persuade the five remaining EU member states – Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Spain – to recognize Kosovo, which is a prerequisite for Kosovo's eventual full accession.

Third, Kurti should declare that Kosovo will accept the Franco-German plan as it stands and will act on its implementation as soon as Serbia also agrees to follow suit. The EU should reward Kosovo by making it a candidate for EU membership.

The above three steps will exert tremendous pressure on Vucic to change his tune, because the last thing he wants to see is Kosovo advance toward integration while he is left behind.

Fourth, Kurti should focus on strengthening Kosovo's economy, weeding out corruption which would encourage foreign investment, creating job opportunities for those who graduate with university degrees to prevent brain drain, and improving healthcare and certainly the entire education system. The greater progress Kosovo makes to meet the EU standard in these areas, the closer it comes to integration.

The EU mediation between Serbia and Kosovo has hit a brick wall. By no longer conditioning Serbia's and Kosovo's integration into the EU unless Serbia recognizes Kosovo's independence, it will dramatically change the dynamic of the conflict and end the impasse.