JURIST - Paper Chase: EU certifies Kosovo constitution as meeting international rights standards

[JURIST] The European Union [official website; JURIST news archive] Thursday certified [press release] that Kosovo's constitution [text] is in line with its international obligations, guaranteeing the individual and community rights of all its citizens. The constitution is expected to come into effect on June 15, close to the date that EULEX Kosovo [planning website], a 1,800-strong European Union police and justice mission [Reuters report] will assume authority from the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) [official website], despite reservations from some EU member states that have declined to recognize [JURIST reports] the Assembly of Kosovo's February unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence [text; JURIST report] from Serbia.

Serb ally Russia has already condemned EULEX Kosovo [JURIST report], with the Russian foreign ministry calling it "in breach of the highest international law." Russia earlier rejected Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, warning that such unilateral action without the approval of the United Nations set a dangerous precedent for "frozen conflicts" around the world. EUobserver has more.

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