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The Politics of Recognition and Engagement pp 215–235Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Spain: Kosovo’s Strongest Opponent in Europe

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Part of the book series: New Perspectives on South-East Europe ((NPSE))

Abstract

Spain has adopted a particularly strong position towards Kosovo. Not only has Madrid refused to recognise Kosovo, it has also refused to engage with Pristina in any way. Even unofficial contact between Kosovo and Spain, such as between civil society organisations, has been extremely limited. As this chapter shows, Spain’s position has been shaped by internal debates within the country about separatism, most notably in the Basque Country and Catalonia. Like most of the other non-recognisers, Madrid’s position is unlikely to change until the question of independence is resolved between Serbia and Kosovo.

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Notes

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    For a more detailed information on Spain and the Western Sahara, see M. Hernando de Larramendi, ‘La Cuestión del Sahara Occidental en la Política Exterior Española,’ in I. Barreñada, I. (ed.) Sahara Occidental, 40 años después (Madrid: Libros de la Catarata, 2016), pp. 263–276.

  2. 2.

    Approved unanimously by all political groups in the Congress, 19 November 2014.

  3. 3.

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  5. 5.

    ‘Comparecencia del Ministro de Exteriores, don Francisco Fernández Ordoñez, para Informar sobre la situación en la Unión Soviética y repercusiones en el área.’ Diario de Sesiones del Senado. Comisión de Asuntos Exteriores. 4 de septiembre 1991. IV Legislatura. Comisiones núm. 97, p. 4.

  6. 6.

    Interview with Nicolas Sartorius, Vicepresidente of Fundación Alternativas, 2015. Also in “Comparecencia del Ministro de Exteriores, don Francisco Fernández Ordoñez, para Informar sobre la situación en la Unión Soviética y repercusiones en el área” (Ibidem, p. 11).

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  8. 8.

    Miguel Boyer (Socialist Minister of Economy and Finances 1982–1985) proposed a third way based in a decentralized planified economy, among deregulated capitalism and bureaucratic state capitalism. For more information on this issue, see De la Fuente Ruiz, J.J. (2017) ‘La invención del socialismo. Radicalismo y renovación en el PSOE durante la dictadura y la transición a la democracia (1953–1982).’ Colección Piedras Angulares. Gijón (Asturias): Ed. Trea.

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  11. 11.

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  12. 12.

    Villena, Españoles en los Balcanes.

  13. 13.

    Carlos Westendorp, interview with the author, May 2014.

  14. 14.

    Felipe González Foundation www.felipegonzalez.es/biografia; Alex Bellamy, Kosovo and International Society (New York: Palgrave, 2002) p. 74.

  15. 15.

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  16. 16.

    Intervención del Presidente del Gobierno, José María Aznar, para informar sobre el Consejo Europeo extraordinario celebrado en Berlín y la intervención militar de la OTAN en Yugoslavia. 30/03/1999 Pleno del Congreso de los Diputados [Intervention by the President of the Government, José María Aznar, to report on the extraordinary European Council held in Berlin and the military intervention of NATO in Yugoslavia. 03/30/1999 Plenary Session of the Congress of Deputies] https://jmaznar.es/file_upload/discursos/pdfs/00651A0651.pdf.

  17. 17.

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  18. 18.

    ‘Comparecencia del Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores para informar sobre las líneas generales de la Política Exterior. Comisión de Asuntos Exteriores,’ 5 September 2000, Diario de Sesiones del Senado, p. 6.

  19. 19.

    ‘El PP presenta su recurso de inconstitucionalidad contra la reforma del Estatuto catalán’ [The PP presents its appeal of unconstitutionality against the reform of the Catalan Statute], El País, 31 July 2006.

  20. 20.

    ‘José María Aznar: “Milošević no fue derrocado para que Kosovo fuera independiente”’ [Milošević was not overthrown so that Kosovo was independent], ABC, 22 September 2007.

  21. 21.

    ‘Moratinos dice que una declaración unilateral de independencia de Kosovo sería “negativa”’/‘Moratinos says that a unilateral declaration of independence from Kosovo would be “negative”,’ EFE, 10 December 2007.

  22. 22.

    ‘Council Conclusions on Kosovo,’ Brussels, 18 February 2008.

  23. 23.

    ‘Council Conclusions on Kosovo,’ Brussels, 18 February 2008.

  24. 24.

    ‘Moratinos intentó retrasar la independencia de Kosovo hasta después de las elecciones del 9 de marzo’ [Moratinos tried to delay the independence of Kosovo until after the elections of March 9], El Confidencial, 9 July 2008. The newspaper based this assumption on two dispatches from the Embassies in Vienna and Belgrade that suggested that this was the case.

  25. 25.

    La independencia de Kosovo, desde una ‘mala noticia’ para España a ‘lección’ democrática/The independence of Kosovo, from a ‘bad news’ for Spain to a democratic ‘lesson’ El Mundo, February, 2nd, 2008. https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/02/17/espana/1203263910.html.

  26. 26.

    Congress Proposals IX Legislature 2008–2011. http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Iniciativas?_piref73_2148295_73_1335437_1335437.next_page=/wc/servidorCGI&CMD=VERLST&BASE=IWI9&FMT=INITXLUS.fmt&DOCORDER=FIFO&OPDEF=Y&QUERY=%28I%29.ACIN1.+%26+%28KOSOVO%29.ALL.&DOCS=26-50.

  27. 27.

    ‘Kosovo: ERC ve un “precedente importantísimo” y anuncia que priorizará el debate sobre Kosovo en las Cortes’ [Kosovo: ERC sees a “very important precedent” and announces that it will prioritize the debate on Kosovo in the Cortes], EuropaPress, 18 February 2008.

  28. 28.

    ‘Kosovo: ERC ve un “precedente importantísimo” y anuncia que priorizará el debate sobre Kosovo en las Cortes’ [Kosovo: ERC sees a “very important precedent” and announces that it will prioritize the debate on Kosovo in the Cortes], EuropaPress, 18 February 2008.

  29. 29.

    ‘Spanish position visa vis Kosovo,’ The Kosovo Times, 13 May 2009.

  30. 30.

    ‘Zapatero promete al presidente serbio que España seguirá sin reconocer a Kosovo’ [Zapatero promises to the Serbian president that Spain will continue without recognizing Kosovo], La Vanguardia, 9 March 2009.

  31. 31.

    Proposición No de Ley. Boletín del Congreso n 478, 24 February 2010, p. 5.

  32. 32.

    Proposición No de Ley. Boletín del Congreso n 478, 24 February 2010, p. 5.

  33. 33.

    Proposición No de Ley. Boletín del Congreso n 478, 24 February 2010, pp. 7–8.

  34. 34.

    Pablo Bustinduy, International Affairs Secretary, Podemos, interview with the author, March 2018.

  35. 35.

    ‘Zapatero promete al presidente serbio que España seguirá sin reconocer a Kosovo’ [Zapatero promises to the Serbian president that Spain will continue without recognizing Kosovo], La Vanguardia, 9 March 2009.

  36. 36.

    UN General Debate of the 64th Session, 2009. http://www.un.org/en/ga/64/generaldebate/ES.shtml

  37. 37.

    ‘España respeta la decisión sobre Kosovo, pero no reconocerá su independencia’ [Spain respects the decision on Kosovo, but will not recognize its independence], 20Minutos, 23 July 2010.

  38. 38.

    International Court of Justice, Advisory Opinion, 22 July 2010 https://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/141/16010.pdf.

  39. 39.

    According to some prominent Kosovo officials, the Spanish prime minister had said that he would be willing to recognise Kosovo once the number of recognitions reached a hundred. Interview held in Pristina, December 2017. However, no public or reported private statements made by Rodríguez-Zapatero seem to suggest this.

  40. 40.

    Boletín Congreso de los Diputados, n 652, pp. 14–15. 2 September and 27 October 2010.

  41. 41.

    ‘El no reconocimiento de Kosovo por parte de la UE favorece la paz en la región’ [The non-recognition of Kosovo by the EU favors peace in the región], El Mundo, 27 July 2010.

  42. 42.

    ‘Moratinos afirma que hubo presiones para que España reconociera a Kosovo’ [Moratinos affirms that there were pressures for Spain to recognize Kosovo], El Confidencial, 11 May 2015.

  43. 43.

    ‘Rajoy se opone a reconocer Kosovo porque “es lo que conviene al interés general de los españoles”’ [‘Rajoy is opposed to recognizing Kosovo because “it is what suits the general interest of the Spaniards”’] La Vanguardia, 14 March 2012.

  44. 44.

    España logra que la UE deje claro que Crimea no puede organizar un referéndum sobre su secesión/Spain gets the EU to make it clear that Crimea cannot organize a referendum on its secession La Razón, March, 3rd 2014. https://www.larazon.es/internacional/espana-logra-que-la-ue-deje-claro-que-crimea-no-puede-organizar-un-referendum-sobre-su-secesion-DF5744317.

  45. 45.

    La posición española sobre Escocia es el respeto a la legalidad/The Spanish position on Scotland is respect for legality EFE July, 1st, 2016 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/politica/s-santamaria-la-posicion-espanola-sobre-escocia-es-el-respeto-a-legalidad/10002-2973867.

  46. 46.

    ‘El separatismo prepara el terreno para la “vía Kosovo”’ [Separatism paves the way for ‘via Kosovo’], El Pais, 14 October 2017.

  47. 47.

    “Cataluña no es Kosovo’ Xavier Vidal-Folch” [“Catalonia is not Kosovo’ Xavier Vidal-Folch”], El Pais, 13 August 2017.

  48. 48.

    Interviews with Kosovar Foreign Affairs Officials, Pristina, December 2017 and Spanish Diplomatic sources.

  49. 49.

    ‘No hay ninguna analogía posible entre Kosovo y Cataluña, establecerla es un sinsentido’ [There is no possible analogy between Kosovo and Catalonia, establishing it is nonsense], El Pais, 30 April 2018.

  50. 50.

    ‘Hashim Thaçi, presidente de Kosovo: “España no es Serbia y Cataluña no es Kosovo”’ [Hashim Thaçi, President of Kosovo: ‘Spain is not Serbia and Catalonia is not Kosovo’], El Mundo, 1 June 2018.

  51. 51.

    ‘Strategy for the Western Balkans: EU sets out new flagship initiatives and support for the reform-driven region,’ European Commission, Press Release, 6 February 2018.

  52. 52.

    ‘Non-Paper on the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans and the Enlargement Process,’ 30 January 2018; ‘Spain tells EU to cut Kosovo from enlargement plan,’ EU Observer, 30 January 2018.

  53. 53.

    ‘Sofia declaration of the EU-Western Balkans summit,’ 17 May 2018, Council of the European Union, 17 May 2018. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/05/17/sofia-declaration-of-the-eu-western-balkans-summit/.

  54. 54.

    ‘España se resiste al acuerdo de Serbia y Kosovo para redibujar sus fronteras’ [Spain resists the agreement of Serbia and Kosovo to redraw its borders], El Pais, August 31st, 2018.

  55. 55.

    Josep Borrell, interview with the author, May 2014.

  56. 56.

    ‘Las frases más destacadas del discurso de Borrell en la manifestación contra la independencia’ [The most outstanding phrases of Borrell’s speech in the demonstration against independence], El Pais, 8 October 2017.

  57. 57.

    ‘Borrell destaca el rechazo de la UE al intercambio de territorio entre Kosovo y Serbia’ [Borrell destaca el rechazo de la UE al intercambio de territorio entre Kosovo y Serbia], EFE, 31 August 2018.

  58. 58.

    ‘Entry Requirements,’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 9 March 2016 (last updated). http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Portal/en/ServiciosAlCiudadano/InformacionParaExtranjeros/Paginas/RequisitosDeEntrada.aspx.

  59. 59.

    ‘Un total de 54 deportistas kosovares tienen ya visado para ir a los Juegos del Mediterráneo en Tarragona’ [A total of 54 Kosovar athletes have already signed up to go to the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona], Europapress, 19 June 2018.

  60. 60.

    ‘El COI, España y Kosovo’ [The IOC, Spain and Kosovo], El Periódico, 13 November 2018.

  61. 61.

    ‘El Gobierno permitirá a Kosovo el uso de símbolos nacionales cuando compita en España’ [The Government will allow Kosovo the use of national symbols when competing in Spain], La Vanguardia, 14 November 2018; ‘Spain reverses stance on Kosovo athletes in the country,’ Associated Press, 14 November 2018.

  62. 62.

    ICEX. https://www.icex.es/icex/es/index.html.

  63. 63.

    ‘Kosovo opens the door to Spanish companies trade and investment,’ The Diplomat in Spain, 7 November 2018.

  64. 64.

    José Ignacio Torreblanca, ‘A Kosovan eye-opener,’ European Council on Foreign Relations, 12 March 2010; Jordi Vaquer I Fanes, ‘Kosovo avanza, pese a las dificultades’ [Kosovo Moves Forward, Despite Difficulties], Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, December 2010.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ruth Ferrero-Turrión

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  1. Ruth Ferrero-Turrión
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Correspondence to Ruth Ferrero-Turrión .

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  1. Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Ioannis Armakolas

  2. European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK

    James Ker-Lindsay

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Ferrero-Turrión, R. (2020). Spain: Kosovo’s Strongest Opponent in Europe. In: Armakolas, I., Ker-Lindsay, J. (eds) The Politics of Recognition and Engagement. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17945-8_11

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