Strong reaction from Austrian analyst to Serbian minister’s statement: Serbia cannot avoid political consequences

Serbian Minister Snezhana Paunoviq has been declared “non grata” in Kosovo and permanently banned from entering or transiting through the country’s territory. The decision followed her recent statement in which she expressed regret that ethnic cleansing had not been carried out in Kosovo during 1998. Acting Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla announced the news on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Sveçla confirmed he had signed the order that closes the doors forever to the Serbian minister responsible for Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

According to him, Paunoviq’s words reconfirm an old reality: official Belgrade has never distanced itself from the project of exterminating Albanians. “In our time, her former leader, Slobodan Milošević, known as the butcher of the Balkans, tried to carry that out,” he wrote.

The minister further stressed that any attempt to revive ideologies of ethnic cleansing or to intimidate the state of Kosovo will be met with a firm and institutional stance.

Regarding this development, Austrian expert Gunther Fehlinger gave a statement to “Bota sot”, describing the minister’s remark as completely unacceptable. In his view, it clearly shows that Serbia cannot advance toward the European Union and NATO without radically breaking away from the language of ethnic cleansing and coming to terms with its past.

Fehlinger said there is no circumstance that justifies ethnic cleansing and that a minister who publicly expresses regret for not carrying out such an act displays values that clash with the foundations of the EU and NATO. In his analysis, this political approach remains stuck in the Milošević era instead of paving the way for the democratic and peaceful future that Serbian citizens deserve.

He added that part of the political elite in Serbia still refuses to confront the war crimes of the 1990s, showing insufficient remorse and tolerating dangerous nationalist rhetoric. While welcoming the condemnation expressed by the European Union, Fehlinger warned that words are not enough. As long as senior Serbian officials promote or appear to justify ideas of aggression against neighbors, he argued, the country cannot credibly walk the European or Euro-Atlantic path.

The Austrian expert then proposed a strategic response quite different from slowing down enlargement. He advocates for a big wave of EU membership in 2029, bringing in simultaneously Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In parallel, he insists Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina must move with confident steps toward NATO to ensure long-term stability in the Western Balkans.

Singling out Kosovo’s case, Fehlinger assessed that over a quarter-century of close cooperation with the EU, NATO and other partners has sufficiently prepared the country for the next steps in the integration process.

Finally, he conveyed a sharp message: Europe must embrace states that respect democracy and the rule of law, while governments whose representatives continue to use the language of ethnic cleansing must face political isolation. “Serbia must be isolated now. Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina should join NATO and the European Union by 2029,” Fehlinger concluded.