” In 2018 Kosovo applies for EU candidate status”

According to her, even though it seems ambitious with a national will and consensus, they can turn Kosovo into a potential country for EU integration.

The government's <x0 plan, respectively, is and we have made it very clear in this government plan in terms of European integrations is that we run for candidate status by the end of 2018 and get candidate status by 2020, although this is ambitious I think if we have all the political will, commitment of the ministries, of institutions, our population, our small country, we can return it to the potential”, Hoxha said.

In an interview for Online Economy, Minister Hoxha has said that to happen this Kosovo must achieve progress in the ERA process and implementation of the SAA.

“We cannot run for candidate status unless we achieve progress in the ERA process, if we do not make progress in implementing the SAA agreement, so both of these processes we should use in the function of our thorough progress and of the reforms undertaken in the functioning of the country's application for candidate status, we cannot apply unless we produce results, if we do not build the moment that Kosovo is ready and even with work to prove that we are truly committed to<16.

The first of the integrations, it has said, has proved that the country has national consensus on European integrations, citing the opposition's role in the process.

We will do this in close co-ordination with the European Union institutions, and also with the political spectrum within Kosovo and key decision-making countries in the European Union, so there must be a full co-ordination. Here I want to highlight the importance of national consensus and the support of all political parties, whether in parliament or in the reforms, to vote on various laws, to implement legislation, to bring about legislation with that of the EU that is one of the key criteria we need this consensus. We have the fate proven by ratification of the IPA agreement weeks ago in parliament, it was demonstrated that fortunately this national consensus on European integration still continues because the agreement was voted on by all MPs, for which I also thank”, she said.

Hoxha has also talked about the idea of forming a Balkan Economic Zone, which has also been supported by commissionor Johannes Hahn, who said in such priority initiatives institutions should see the business community's interest in the country.

But according to the minister, this should not be seen as replacing the EU integration of the Western Balkans.

Because of the non-recognition of Kosovo by Serbia and Bosnia our producers, our companies are not having free access to the region market, and very often our goods have waited on the borders for days until we have unblocked them and I see this not as the replacement of the European Union, not as the replacement of the European integration process, but as something that already facilitates all countries to move forward in economic development”.

So it should be viewed as something positive, but I also carried this message to other forums where we have had meetings that should not be seen as replacing European integration for Western Balkan states. We need to look at the ways in which to promote our businesses as much as possible, as a state, we have to always make sure that we promote our interest, our national interest is for our companies to have competitiveness. How to do that is understood that institutions should look at both support policies and the EU, but concrete steps must be taken to prepare our companies too”, she stressed. / EO/