Sorensen and Haavisto, the only candidates to succeed Lajcak for the dialogue

The high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign policy and security, Kaja Kallas, will have to decide these days between two candidates for the successor of Miroslav Lajcak in the position of the EU's special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

REL learns that the diplomat from Denmark, Peter Sorensen, and the former Foreign Minister of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, are the only candidates who presented themselves for the role until last Friday, when the deadline for submission of applications expired.

Meanwhile, in the EU they do not give any details about this and only confirm that "the selection process is ongoing".

"The mandate of the high representative Miroslav Lajçak remains in force until the end of January. The selection of his successor is currently ongoing and we will make further announcements in time," said Annita Hipper, EU spokesperson for foreign policy and security.

If the EU wants to ensure that there is no vacuum, then the procedure for appointing the new special envoy for the dialogue should be completed before the end of this month, when Lajcak's mandate will officially end.

But, in addition to the decision of the high representative Kallas for the appointment of Lajcak's successor, the EU member states must also agree. Working groups in the Council of the EU are dealing with this issue now.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels have told Radio Free Europe that both candidates would be considered a suitable choice, but there are some differences between them.

These sources say that, if Kallas decided to have a person with a greater political weight in that post, then the former Foreign Minister of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, would have priority. Even in the case when Lajcak was elected to this position five years ago, the fact that he had been the foreign minister of a member country of the bloc was mentioned as an advantage.

But, on the other hand, these sources say, if Kallas wants himself to deal more with the dialogue process in the political aspect, then Sorensen is considered the most suitable candidate, because he has been working in the structures of the Foreign Evaluation Service for many years. of the EU (EEAS) and would take on more mediation in technical issues in the dialogue.

Diplomatic sources from EU member states estimate that Sorensen is slightly more likely than Haavisto.

Who are Peter Sorensen and Pekka Haavisto?

Both Sorensen and Haavisto have experience and knowledge of the Western Balkans.

Peter Sorensen from Denmark has more diplomatic experience in the structures of the European Union than political career in his country.

In Kosovo, Haavisto was vice-chairman of "Pillar IV" (Reconstruction and Economic Development) of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), from 2002 to 2006, as well as senior advisor to the representative of Special of the UN Secretary General in Kosovo from 2001 to 2002.

He has over 15 years of experience in the Western Balkans region.

During his diplomatic career in the EU, Sorensen has served as the EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the EU Office in Sarajevo, while he has also been the Special Representative of the EU High Representative in Serbia. . In the Balkan region, he also worked in the OSCE mission in Croatia.

He was also the head of the European Union delegation in Skopje.

He is currently an advisor to the EEAS on digital diplomacy.

On the other hand, Pekka Haavisto was the foreign minister of Finland. In that capacity, he had visited both Kosovo and Serbia.

Haavisto has strongly supported the dialogue process and criticized Serbia for lobbying against the recognition of Kosovo's independence, while it criticized Kosovo when it imposed tariffs on the import of goods from Serbia years ago.

As the Foreign Minister of Finland, Haavisto has been a great supporter of the EU enlargement process and the advancement of relations with the countries of the Western Balkans.

Haavisto, in the time after the war in Kosovo, also worked in the structures of the UNMIK Administration, which dealt with the ecological consequences after the war. He has competed three times in the elections for the president of Finland. Always finished in second position. In his political career, Haavisto was also the Minister of the Environment of Finland.

The role of the special envoy

EU diplomatic sources say that it is expected that Lajcak's successor will only be a special envoy for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and will not have other obligations related to the Western Balkans region.

In his title, Lajcak also has the duties for "other regional issues" in addition to the engagement as a facilitator in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

The name of the former president and former prime minister of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, was mentioned earlier for this role.

During the summer, Pahor had confirmed that he was interested in this post and had the Government's support for his decision. But he announced on Friday that he would not compete to be the EU's special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, having realized that a diplomatic level is required rather than a political one.

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has been ongoing with the facilitation of the European Union for more than 13 years.

The EU continues to insist that the implementation of all agreements reached so far is an obligation for Kosovo and Serbia, and that this remains a condition for their advancement in the European integration process.

Diplomatic sources in the EU say that this position of the EU will not change in the future, regardless of who will be facilitating the dialogue.