CITIZENS PERCEPTION ON KOSOVO - SERBIA DIALOGUE AND IDENTITY ISSUES KOSOVO AND SERBIA CITIZENS’ PERSPECTIVE
CITIZENS PERCEPTION ON KOSOVO - SERBIA DIALOGUE AND IDENTITY ISSUES KOSOVO AND SERBIA CITIZENS’ PERSPECTIVE

Author(s): Plator Avdiu
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Security and defense, Inter-Ethnic Relations, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: BCBP Beogradski centar za bezbednosnu politiku
Keywords: Kosovo; Serbia; citizens; dialogue; EU
Summary/Abstract: EU-led dialogue for normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is assumed to be the main issue for both countries, since the process started in 2011. After almost a decade of the process and in some cases negative coverage by the media, the citizens of both Serbia and Kosovo seem to be relatively strong in their support of the dialogue. The percentage in support for the dialogue is slightly different in Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovar citizens seem to have a stronger support with 68 percent compared to the Serbian citizens with 51 percent. This, rather high percentage of the support for the dialogue in both countries challenges the common assumption that the dialogue is not popular. This would seem to suggest that the citizens see a value and a benefit in the dialogue process. However, this assumption is undermined, with the very high percentage of the citizens in Kosovo (80 percent) and Serbia (92 percent) who do not see any personal benefit from the dialogue. were asked percentage of the citizens in Serbia who say they have not personally. This result, can imply that citizens see the dialogue as a responsibility of the elites, or a process happening at the macro level, not touching their lives. Perhaps, the high percentage of the citizens in both countries, that do not perceive the dialogue to have personal benefits to them is a manifestation of a lack of effective communication from the EU and more importantly the governments in Kosovo and Serbia, about the benefits the dialogue.

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