Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, welcomed on Friday the European Union’s decision to lift punitive measures.

The EU imposed the measures on Kosovo in 2023 due to tensions in the north of the country, an area predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs.

However, during a meeting of the executive, Kurti said that Kosovo’s institutions “were not responsible for the escalation of the situation” in the north, adding that the reduction of tensions in that area “was precisely the merit of state institutions.”

He stated that after the imposition of the punitive measures—which will be fully lifted by the end of January and will enable the country to receive millions of euros in financial assistance—Kosovo faced two attacks: one in September 2023 in Banjska, Zvečan, and another in November 2024 on the Ibër-Lepenc canal.

Regarding both attacks, Kurti reiterated the position that there is evidence of the involvement of the Serbian state.

“In retrospect, any compromise on the rule of law would have been fatal for Kosovo. The calm situation, freedom of movement, and the functioning of state institutions in northern Kosovo are precisely because the rule of law and public order have prevailed. Despite all this, throughout this entire time we have never been resentful toward the EU. We have remained fully committed to European integration and to meeting the criteria for membership,” he emphasized.

Speaking about the measures, he also criticized the parties that were in opposition during the previous mandate for not voting in November for the Growth Plan and three agreements with the World Bank before the Assembly was dissolved.