Kurti: Kosovo ready for candidate status, opening EU membership negotiations

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that Kosovo is ready for candidate status, but also for opening negotiations with the EU.

Kurti said EU membership must be based on meritocracy.

I want to highlight three elements. First after a decade of stagnation, EU enlargement has returned to the agenda. Russia's aggression towards Ukraine has restored the importance of EU enlargement, not only as the area of socio-economic prosperity, but also as a peace and security zone. In December 2023, the EU Summit with the Western Balkans reaffirmed the future of our region in the EU. On December 15, 2022, in Prague, the Czech Republic, which was holding the presidency at the time, we submitted the EU membership application. We believe EU membership should be based on meritocracy.

As the most advanced democracy in the region, we are willing to answer the thousands of technical questions coming from the EC. Compared to the region, Kosovo is not only ready for candidate status, but also to open negotiations with numerous chapters towards membership. EU membership is strategic elections. We made that choice. Mobilisation to catch up to the European integration process after several years of stagnation has caused many reforms and laws to pass”, Kurti said.

Kurti has called for the removal of EU punitive measures on Kosovo. The prime minister has said Kosovo has met all EU requirements for removing these measures.

“The measures that are in force against Kosovo conflict with the region's efforts to integrate into the EU, especially with its growth plan and its goals. We have met all EU efforts to remove restrictive measures and these measures must be removed”, Kurti said.