Much of the talks between Prishtina and Belgrade have focused around the Association of Serb Municipalities. Belgrade has referred to this new institution as Community and Prishtina has gradually come to assent to this vocabulary as well.

The Community is the very embodiment of the level of protection (autonomy) that Kosovo Serbs are supposed to get. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Ashton said that both parties found a common language for a level of autonomy for the Serbs in Kosovo.

Prishtina has long accepted vertical links between Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Belgrade, but rejected the creation of an institution that would join those municipalities horizontally, as it saw them as a precursor to a separate Serb entity. It is not surprising then that it raised eye-brows in Kosovo that the Serbian leadership has primarily focused on the Association.

The Serbian Prime Minister said in early February that “The discussion focused solely on the Association of Serb municipalities, and all other issues are less important compared to that, but the Association was also prioritized ahead of all other points agreed upon.

Association may not only (a) develop into a full-fledged third layer of governance just yet, but it has the potential to (b) create an effective second capital city for the Serb community, and (c) legally accept that Belgrade shares sovereignty on much of Kosovo.

“This publication has been produced with the support of Democratic Society Promotion (DSP) project – financed by Swiss Cooperation Office Kosovo (SCO-K) and managed by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KSCF). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Democracy for Development and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of SCO-K or KCSF.”