Spanish opposition fears Kosovo passport recognition could set a precedent for Catalonia

Spain’s main opposition force, Partido Popular, has demanded explanations from the government over its recognition of Kosovo passports, claiming it could set a precedent for recognition of Catalan passports in the future.

Spain made a U-turn on its previous stance of not recognising Kosovo’s passports, even in the face of visa liberalisation for the Schengen Zone, which came into force on 1 January 2024. Madrid announced it would accept the passports, but this did not mean actual or de facto recognition of sovereignty.

However, the conservative opposition was not convinced and demanded explanations, stating that the government’s decisions “set a precedent for any country to accept a hypothetical Catalan passport in the future.”

In October 2017, the parliament of Catalonia approved – in a secret ballot and in the absence of the anti-independence parties (including PSOE and PP/EPP) – a declaration of independence establishing the Catalan Republic.

This declaration, approved by 72 deputies of separatist parties, was subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Court. The text was the result of an unlawful referendum on the region’s independence held on 1 October of that year but declared unconstitutional shortly afterwards.

The controversial amnesty law that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) agreed to push through in exchange for the votes of the two main Catalan separatist forces, Together for Catalonia (JxCat) and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), aims to heal the wounds caused by these anti-constitutional measures and the illegal actions of Catalan separatists between 2012 and 2023.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares ruled out that Madrid’s recognition of Kosovo passports is a direct reaction to “please” Catalan separatist forces, on whose votes the stability of Spain’s progressive government relies, ABC daily reported.

He added that Madrid does not recognise “unilateral declarations of independence” such as Kosovo’s and said Spain “has not changed its position of non-recognition of Kosovo”.

Spain favours dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina

However, despite Madrid’s refusal to recognise Kosovo as a country, the minister underlined Spain’s favourable stance towards dialogue between the conflicting parties in the region.

“Spain will never be an obstacle to dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and neither will it ever be an obstacle, in this case, in the dialogue between Pristina and the European Union”, Albares commented.

The official said that Spain supports the initiatives of EU High Representative Josep Borrell “to promote this dialogue” between Kosovo and Serbia.

Since 1 January of this year, visa exemption for Kosovo citizens in the EU came into force, allowing them to travel without visas to the Schengen area and the European Union.

The Kosovar regional parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, which was recognised by the US and most EU members except Cyprus, Romania, Greece, Slovakia and Spain.

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es, Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)