Gervailla: It is the right time to apply for EU membership

She said there has been a clear strategy of lobby for entry into the Council of Europe.

“Yes, it is the right moment to apply for membership in the European Union, yes, there has been a clear strategy of lobby for entry into the Council of Europe before the application is submitted, yes, Kosovo has made an apparent progress on its path to membership in the Council of Europe”, she said.

On the other hand, the minister said Kosovo has passed some of the necessary phases to move to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Kosovo has passed some of its necessary phases to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. There are very clear strategies both about EU membership and there is co-ordination with our partners in both the EU and the United States about our aspirations for membership in the European Union. Not only does there be co-ordination, but there is also strong support for the aspirations of the Republic of Kosovo to join the European Union”, Gervala said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspore Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, on the issue of applying the Republic of Kosovo to the European Union, said the process does not end with the delivery of the application, but begins a very important phase in which Kosovo, as one of six Western Balkan states, also formally expresses its aspirations for EU membership.

“There is no other alternative to formal demand for membership in the EU and to start procedures through which all our neighbouring states have passed until the final membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the European Union”, the foreign minister said.

She added that no one in the Government of the Republic is naive to know the challenges ahead.

We all know there are scepticism and non-recognitional states and the more it increases provocations and tensions Serbia, the more some of the European Union states fear in that way that they say you look at a little bit of each other because order and law are one side, but they don't want conflicts.

But aware of the challenges ahead, of course, the solution is that we cannot hold back, give in to crime, before tensions, before blackmail. The next move should be very progressive, not only to submit the application but to be prepared to present not only our request but also to show our vision to do all the homework to finally become a member of”, Minister Gervala said.