EU spokesman: Kosovo cannot apply for membership in European Union

That Kosovo is not treated as a sovereign and independent state by the EU has been known forever, but European Union officials have always been relating this, citing the “European perspective” for it.

So far, it has not been said so firmly that Kosovo for the EU is not a state and cannot apply for EU membership, as has been done at the Peter Stano press conference, spokesperson for the issue of Foreign Policy and Security, and EU High Representative Josep Borrell, who has also taken over the answers to the questions about the work of special envoy for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia Miroslav Lajcak.

Stano has said this by responding to the question of whether Kosovo can apply for EU membership, as it has already pledged no membership in international organisations. Stano has declined to comment on what happened in Washington, saying it belongs to the parties rather than to the EU, but has been limited to clarifications concerning the possibility for Kosovo to apply for EU membership.

“As to your question of whether Kosovo will be able to apply for EU membership, I am afraid I have to remind you that there are still five member states that have not recognised. Kosovo is still unable to make formal application for EU membership”, this EU spokesman has said, adding later that “Kosovo, however, has a clear European perspective”.

He has said that the EU is working for years intensively with Kosovo, the people and with Kosovo representatives, so that they are helped to move towards European integration and at some point be able to apply for membership.

He has called dialogue and normalisation of reports with Serbia as one thing that is related to the EU integration process for both sides, for both Kosovo and Serbia, and that none can enter the EU in the final phase without normalising the reports.