Closed Spain and Belgium launches EU chairmanship ) will turn Kosovo's membership application into consideration

Spain, with the end of 2023, completed the chairmanship of the European Union (BE) to hand over this task to Belgium.

Belgium, in which the European Union headquarters is located and was the first to play the leader when this system was established, will lead for it 13 times.

And this chairmanship of Belgium occurs at a key moment for the EU, as at the end of this presidency, between June 6th and 9th, European elections will take place.

And for Belgium, election day will be even more important, as on the same day as the European Parliament elections, both national and regional and local elections will be held. Despite this, the Belgium government has promised that it will have adequate capacities and sufficient focus to carry out the task of the next chairman successfully.

Even Spain passed through the election process during its chairmanship with the EU in the second half of 2023.

Spain, during its chairmanship with the EU, also held the enlargement process, and Belgium is expected to have it.

During Spain's chairmanship, historic decisions were adopted to launch membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, the willingness to start conditional negotiations even with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia were granted candidate status to Georgia.

There was no single step towards Kosovo's application for EU membership, and this was not expected during the chairmanship of Spain, which is among the EU member states that strongly oppose Kosovo's independence.

However, Kosovo participated in a European Political Community summit that took place in Granada, Spain, as well as a joint EU-Western Balkans summit, which took place in December in Brussels.

Diplomats in Brussels say that in the first part of 1923, when the EU chairmanship took over Sweden, there was an effort for the EU Council to review Kosovo's application for EU membership and eventually mandated the European Commission to compile thoughts about this application. But neither did Sweden manage to secure the support of all member states for this, while Spain was among the countries that mostly opposed it.

Now when Belgium takes over the rotating chairmanship, it is not clear whether it will bring back Kosovo's EU membership application, delivered at the end of 2022, when the next chairmanship was Chechia.

This is also a legal issue, since Kosovo's independence has not recognised all member states and enlargement is decided by consensus. But, there is also political issue, as it also relates to Kosovo's behaviour in the dialogue process with Serbia and implementation of the obligations stemming from this process”, an EU diplomat has told Radio Free Europe.

In the Belgium Government documents that mention priorities, which will be taken over the next six months when it is at the helm of the EU, it only writes that during this period “will advance the work in the enlargement process, which is going to be above”.

The Belgian presidency will monitor the processes that are under way with all relevant countries, in accordance with existing methodology, based on the approach of individual merits, and each candidate's progress in meeting the membership criteria”, says the Belgium priority document, which will lead the EU in the first half of 2024.

We will encourage EU integration by promoting necessary transformation reforms in key areas, namely rule of law, democratic institutions, media freedom and fundamental rights”, the document says.

It is also highlighted that just during Belgium's chairmanship with the EU, exactly on May 1st 2024, the 20th anniversary of the European Union's greatest expansion will be marked. Belgium, as the EU's leader, praises this as a big “step towards the unification and prosperity of the continent of Europe”.

Belgium, during the chairmanship, will also address the definition of a strategic agenda for EU development, where enlargement will have an important place.

This strategic “ ” will set the basis for EU action in the period from 2024 to 2029.

“Paralyse the presidency will pay particular attention to the EU's capacities to integrate new members and advance reflections on internal reforms needed for a successful future expansion”, the European Union's Belgian presidency priorities reported.

As for the European Union's enlargement process during Belgium's chairmanship, membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova could begin, as the decision was adopted at the European Council's latest summit in December. Bosnia and Herzegovina will be assessed in March to see whether it has met certain conditions to start membership negotiations as well.

Belgium has warned that it will continue deepening co-operation with non-EU neighbours from Switzerland to the Western Balkans to face common challenges such as security of energy supply and migration issues. Belgium will also keep the focus of the EU in strengthening the Alliance with the United States of America and co-operation with NATO. / REL