The EU is dealing once again with the status of Kosovo, the Serbian region with an Albanian majority, which has been run by the UN since 1999 and whose political leaders could unilaterally announce their independence from Belgrade on Sunday 17th February. The Council for Foreign Affairs of the 27 EU member states will address this issue during the meeting of Monday 18th, then a trilateral debate (Council, Commission, Parliament) will be held in Strasbourg on Wednesday 20th. Last December, the EU had agreed on a civilian mission, named Eulex Kosovo, which would have sent to Pristina 1,800 people, including administrative officers, legal consultants, cooperation and training experts, to prepare Kosovo’s "transition" to independence. The final go-ahead to the mission might be given just by the Council of Foreign Affairs on 18th February. "The matter explains a note from the EU Parliament goes beyond Europe and concerns the whole international zone: Russia valiantly defends the integrity of Serbia, while the United States are inclined to recognise an independent Kosovo. Many, however, fear such declaration of independence might cause the Balkan powder keg to explode again".
