Kosovo has called on the EU to accelerate its European integration
Kosovo has once again appealed to the European Union to grant the country candidate status. During a visit by an EU representative, the parties discussed reforms, relations with Serbia, and the path toward membership negotiations. This was reported by Politico.
During her visit, Marta Kos confirmed the European Union’s support for Kosovo’s European future, but emphasized that the country must fulfill a number of important conditions, including normalizing relations with Serbia and continuing domestic reforms. Only then, she said, can the next stage of accession negotiations begin. “Kosovo urgently needs to catch up on EU-related priorities. Kosovo needs stable institutions and an effective government,” Marta Kos stated at a joint press conference with interim Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
In response, Kurti noted that Kosovo applied for EU membership in 2022, and now, he said, it is time for concrete decisions from Brussels. He emphasized that obtaining candidate status would help strengthen democracy, accelerate economic development, and improve citizens’ lives. “Approximately 41 months after we applied for EU membership, the time has come for Kosovo to obtain candidate status and begin accession negotiations,” he noted.
At the same time, Kosovo’s path to the EU remains complicated due to political disagreements within the Union itself. Five EU countries—Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Cyprus—still do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, and Serbia also refuses to recognize its sovereignty, which is hindering the process of normalizing relations in the region.
On Monday, March 30, Kosovo decided to send troops to the Gaza Strip to participate in the international security force operating under a U.S.-backed initiative following last year’s ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States would lead the International Stabilization Force in post-war Gaza. According to him, the mission is designed to restore order and make the Strip safe for the local population. He made these remarks on Thursday at the first meeting of the Peace Council.
The Trump administration presented its vision of what the Gaza Strip could look like in ten years. Participants in the “Peace Council” initiative pledged to allocate more than $7 billion for the reconstruction of the enclave.
