The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has criticized the European Union for being “unjust” towards Kosovo in its policies in the Western Balkans, by not lifting the punitive measures against it and not showing willingness to consider its request for membership in the bloc.
Speaking after arriving in Brussels on Wednesday for the EU-Western Balkans Summit, Osmani stated that “it seems there are tendencies within the EU from some member states to continuously punish Kosovo.”
She said that meetings like this summit are a good opportunity to advance the European perspective of the entire region, but that, in her view, the EU is committing an “injustice” to Kosovo in the enlargement process.
Kosovo applied for EU membership on December 15, 2022, but its request has not yet been considered. As a result, Kosovo remains the only country in the Balkans that does not yet have candidate status.
Osmani emphasized that if there were political will from the EU, mechanisms could be found to mandate the European Commission to review Kosovo’s membership application.
Osmani also spoke about the EU’s punitive measures against Kosovo, stating that they are not only “unjust” but also “un-European” because, as she expressed, “they are punishing a population of 1.7 million people, which is the most pro-European population on Earth, with over 97% of its citizens supporting the EU integration process.”
The European bloc imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in 2023 following increased tensions in the north of the country. The EU assessed that the Government of Kosovo had not done enough to de-escalate the situation.
The leaders of the EU member states are meeting today in Brussels with their counterparts from the Western Balkans at the joint summit, which has now become a regular format for meetings at least once a year.
Present at the summit from the Balkans are the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, and the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović.
In addition to the heads of state or government of the EU member countries, the meeting is also attended by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, as the organizer of the meeting, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell.
/Argumentum.al
