Kosovo disadvantaged in EU enlargement agenda

The document project that is still under discussion, despite the involvement of six countries in the region, envisions Serbia and Montenegro entering earlier than other countries in the European Union, possibly before 2025.

Kosovo is already mentioned in the context of talks on normalising relations with Serbia, which is the key condition for Belgrade in its progress towards the European Union. The coming year is set forth as a period of completion of the process of this normalisation.

Recognition of the integration issue say Kosovo is in a very unfavourable situation in relation to this strategy because of its lack of internal development involving reforms and its non-recognition by five European Union countries.

The Balkan Group's executive director for policy research, Naim Rashit, told the Voice of America that Kosovo in this strategy is nowhere, and that according to him will for a long time impede European integration.

The “is disturbing because reforms are not mentioned and the rest the state should do, but this primarily concerns political criteria and which are so large that they have left no room for Kosovo's case to talk about other criteria of rule and law reforms and is not mentioned by the ERA agenda an instrument that alone the Commissioner (Johannes) Hahn and the European Union have invested”, Mr. Rashi said.
He stresses that part of the blame lies with the European Union after favouring Serbia due to Russian influence, and that according to him Kosovo is the victim of global policies. He says, however, that Kosovo has not accomplished its internal duties.

“Internal failure or lack of internal consolidation does not reason, and this is the exclusive fault of our politics, our society and the way we have governed”, said Mr. Rashi.

Artan Murati from the Kosovo Democratic Institute says the strategy presents a real mirror for Kosovo due to the impasse in implementing the necessary criteria and reforms.

The criteria for membership in the European Union are only clear to all states intended to enter the EU and Kosovo, although it has made very good steps especially in bringing legislation and its translation, politically and economically, continue to lag far behind in terms of EU criteria, even with other concrete issues related to the lives of citizens.

Kosovo has had more words in recent years than concrete acts towards integration into the European Union”, Mr. Murati said.

Authorities in Kosovo have warned that during this year they aim to run for membership in the European Union, a very difficult issue according to integration policy connoisseurs, since this year, according to them, is difficult because of increased tensions between Kosovo and the European Union following the initiative to abolish the Special Court law.

Analysts say Spain's opposition to Kosovo is not surprising and a serious issue expected to create problems for the country in European integration.
Rashit says the only solution to exceed these conditions by European Union countries that have not recognised Kosovo is its membership in the United Nations. And for that he says conditions that have been put on Serbia for normalising relations with Kosovo must be exploited.

Serbia must resolve all issues with Kosovo, and Kosovo should take advantage of this moment and close at least one of the main barriers, and instead focus on making state and reforms. The state and institutions are sluggish to implement reforms required in the integration process”, Mr. Rashi said.

Kosovo has thus far benefited from a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, but remains the last in integration processes in the region. It has so far failed to meet one of the key criteria for involvement in the visa-free travel regime, failing to ratify an agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro.