What signal did the EU chief's visit to Kosovo signal?

In most states, von der Leyeen spoke of the importance of membership in the European Union (BE) and of the path they have made towards him.

For progress on this road, Kosovo, she said, should have strong institutions, lowered tensions and take the necessary steps to take advantage of the 6 billion-euro Growth Plan, aimed at accelerating the path of the region's EU states.

Kosovo has lost nearly 900m euros, which means that per capita the resident is the biggest beneficiary of these means.

Richard Jozwiak, editor for Radio Europe Free Europe (REL), believes that comments late der Leyen on the social network X simply reflect Brussels' priorities in the Western Balkans, and that Kosovo is seen to be firmly placed in the background.

“Not moving forward as Montenegro and Albania have done, is not a geostrategic and economic priority like Serbia, despite its difficulties”.

Augustin Palockaj, journalist who conveys EU policies, says about REL that the European official's assessment is correct, and that it is no secret that EC reports with Kosovo are not good and fair.

Kosovo has no institutions of complete legitimacy, which would have emerged from elections that have been held since February”.

This situation, according to him, has later damaged Kosovo in the process of providing funds from the Development Plan, though the country has been among the first to have approved the reform agenda -- a process Bosnia and Herzegovina has not finalised yet.

Kosovo has managed to establish the Assembly, eight months after holding parliamentary elections. In its absence, the country could not ratify the agreement that would enable the release of EU funds.

The Role of Sanctions

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said after meeting with the EU chief that she has sought the removal of punitive measures against the country she leads. The measures, which Kosovo considers unfair, were imposed in 2023 due to the escalation of the situation in the country's north, and only in May of this year began to gradually move away.

Palockaj believes the process of transforming local government in northern Kosovo will play a role at this point: if it goes properly, then the countries that want the removal of measures will have a good argument.

It refers to the result of the 12 October local elections in four Serb-run northern municipalities, which the Serb List won. These municipalities were led by Albanian mayors, following the withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo institutions at the end of 2022.

Kosovo must have its own institutions, so that within Kosovo there will be institutional stability, and those institutions will have more correct reports with the international community. When I say correct, I think in the fact that there should be trust among them, I don't blame one or the other party, because Kosovo can't pretend that there are good reports with the United States, with the QUINT countries. [WINT] The US, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France], nor the European Commission, when they say good reports” are not.

When we are in the elections, there are exactly election processes in Kosovo and in northern Macedonia the reasoning that European officials cited why von der Leyeen did not hold media conferences after meetings with state officials.

Questionnaire and candidate country status

Despite Kosovo's application in 2022 to join the EU has remained in drawers and has never been reviewed, incumbent Albin Kurti was quoted as asking EU chief that the EC hand over Pristina as soon as the membership questionnaire was asked, and that Kosovo be granted candidate country status.

For Jozwaik, Brussels is fully aware that it will not move forward with assessing Kosovo's application for membership during the current Danish presidency, or the future Cypriot one.

As for recall, Kosovo is the only one in the region that does not have candidate status.

Progress of the Last 12 Months

von der Leyen's visit to the Balkan region has been realised on the eve of adopting EU Progress Reports on these countries targeting the bloc.

They are considered a real mirror of the situation in each country.

Palockaj believes that the situation, from October last year until now, has not been very favourable in Kosovo, and that there are no good developments which could be reflected in the report.

The “as far as I have heard, will be blamed for the delays being made in Kosovo in the absence of functional institutions, and Kosovo has thus stalled”.

The report cites in detail priorities and impasses in many sectors. Kosovo has been repeating over the years that normalising relations with Serbia is the only way forward.