EU to give go-ahead to Kosovo mission

THE European Union is set to complete authorisation of a big supervisory mission in Kosovo this week, just before the territory is expected to declare independence from Serbia, diplomats and EU officials said.

They said the 27-nation bloc will use a low-profile diplomatic procedure to approve an operations plan for the 1,800-strong police and justice mission — the last of four preparatory documents required to launch deployment.

“The O-plan will be adopted this week by written procedure,” one official said.