Kosovo targets EU membership candidate country status

After losing the step for visa liberalisation, Kosovo faces the next challenge, of taking over or losing the case for candidate country's status for EU membership.

Labinot Greicevci, an International Relations researcher, told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo's uncertainty in terms of European integration will continue to pursue Kosovo for a while, until there will be a final agreement with Serbia.

Kosovo is behind, if we make a comparison with other Western Balkan countries and this relates to the fact that Kosovo has not recognised five European Union member states and, as a result, may apply for candidate status, but there will be no clear European perspective like other Western Balkan countries”, Greicevci said.

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has said that “The EU is increasingly willing to consider the membership of Western Balkan states in the bloc”. According to him, their EU membership would ensure peace in the region, while enriching the EU itself.

But, Greicevci says the commissionor Hahn's statements have nothing to do with Kosovo.

If they see this last statement by Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who says the perspective of Western Balkan countries for EU integration is more clear now than a year ago, from this point we can say that this perspective is more clear or that it can become even clearer with the European Commission strategy, published in February of next year, and only for four Western Balkan countries, and here I have in mind, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. But, not so much for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, even for a certain time set”, Greicevci said.

Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are officially candidates for EU membership, while Kosovo and Bosnia are seeking the same status.

Based on statements by Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, during 2018, Kosovo will seek to have candidate status.

Naim Rashit, director of the Balkan Policy Group, considers the European Union is preparing the enlargement strategy, which will directly pave the way for Montenegro and Serbia's membership, as well as recommend the start of negotiations on Macedonia and Albania.

Rashit told Rel that it is not yet known what will happen to Bosnia and Kosovo, and in particular with Kosovo in this case, will the prospect of application for candidate status open, respectively.

The “currently due to the discussions we know in Brussels has not presented any formulation for Kosovo, but if this were to happen it would be the serious step and the EU's serious offer to the entire region, and in this case against Kosovo for candidate status”, Rashi said.

He thinks that the European Union, after almost 10-year sleepiness, has revolutionised enlargement policies and, as he said, the president of the Commission has indicated that enlargement will be one of the 10 EU priority points.

“Within these 10 priorities, the expansion of the Balkans, exclusively of the Western Balkan countries, has been put on the agenda and has broad support. What they face mainly is trouble with Kosovo and Bosnia, while there is a very broad consensus for the four countries that should start or advance quickly, while two others start membership negotiations”, Rashi said.

Rashit emphasises that Kosovo and Serbia on their journey to EU membership have concluded the issue of dialogue, normalising relations with an agreement.

Without an agreement between the two sides, neither can advance towards the EU. What needs to be understood is that Kosovo now has a moment of grasping the question of dialogue and advancing dialogue, closing it with the final phase, which requires”.

“of course should be careful because Kosovo's signing of the agreement with Serbia will lead Serbia towards the EU, but at the same time, it meets one of its key criteria and closes the issue of normalisation between the two states, jurisdiction with Serbia, which eventually will bring Kosovo into the UN and resolve all issues related to countries, not knowing from the five countries, because in these months, Spain is making big trouble for Kosovo”, Rashi has clarified.

Awareers of European issues say Kosovo must work hard on rule of law and rule of law, on internal reforms, make a radical transformation of policymaking, development and functioning of institutions, which, according to them, remain a challenge before the state of Kosovo.

The EU views the region as important for issues such as migration control and combating security threats.

The member states have realised that peace can be achieved in the Balkans and that the prospect of EU membership is vital to”, said Commissioner Hahn.