The EU, due to the geostrategic importance of the Western Balkans and its desire to expand its values, aims to enlarge towards the countries in this region. However, this goal remains unfulfilled in most countries. Since 2011, the EU has acted as a mediator in the Kosovo-Serbia conflict, aiming for gradual normalization of relations. The main tool of the EU is the membership perspective, designed to encourage political compromises and resolve open issues. Despite years of efforts, solution has not been achieved, with Kosovo's status remaining a key issue. Internal EU divisions over Kosovo's recognition and non-implementation of agreements by both countries have reduced the effectiveness of its mediation. This thesis aims to analyze the historical background of the conflict, assess its impact on Serbia’s EU accession, and evaluate the success of EU mediation.
The research is based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources, including EU official documents, academic literature, and statistical data. Methods used include compilation, description, induction, analysis, and synthesis to examine the EU’s role and identify key challenges.
The results indicate that the EU’s effectiveness as a mediator is limited due to internal disagreements, unimplemented agreements, decreased membership attractiveness, and external actors’ influence. These factors hinder progress and reduce trust between the sides. This work contributes to understanding the limitations of EU mediation and offers recommendations for improving future long-term sustainable mediation strategies. Recommendations include strengthening EU unity, clearer membership conditions, better monitoring mechanisms, and closer international cooperation to enhance EU effectiveness in conflicts.
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