Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has called on the European Union to address Kosovo\u2019s application for EU membership, stating that Kosovo has \u201cno Plan B\u201d and is fully committed to integration into the European bloc.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is time for Kosovo and the EU to intensify joint efforts to overcome the obstacles that hinder Kosovo\u2019s EU membership process,\u201d Kurti said during a discussion in Brussels organized by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means: initiating the Questionnaire for Kosovo to assess our institutional and legal capacities for EU membership; and preparing a merit-based opinion on Kosovo\u2019s candidate status,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Kosovo applied for EU membership on December 15, 2022, and remains the only country in the region that has not yet been granted candidate status.<\/p>\n
It may take Kosovo several years to obtain this status, as other regional countries have waited similarly\u2014Albania waited five years, and Bosnia and Herzegovina six. However, some countries like Ukraine and Moldova gained candidate status within just a few months.<\/p>\n
Kurti emphasized Kosovo\u2019s achievements in reforms and the implementation of EU standards, highlighting Kosovo\u2019s support for Ukraine with military aid and alignment with the EU\u2019s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).<\/p>\n
Kosovo has condemned Russia\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine and supported international sanctions against Russia and its allies.<\/p>\n
\u201cKosovo is a reliable partner of the EU and strongly believes in its European future,\u201d Kurti declared.<\/p>\n
He stressed that it is time for the European Union to show that it sees Kosovo as part of its future, thus strengthening Kosovo\u2019s commitment to the European agenda.<\/p>\n
Kurti also criticized delays in the enlargement process and stressed that citizens of the region\u2014especially young people\u2014are increasingly concerned about the slowdown, noting that trust in the EU is fading.<\/p>\n
Countries that joined the EU in 2004, 2007, and 2013\u2014the last three EU enlargements\u2014took between 8 to 14 years from their application to full membership.<\/p>\n
This process takes time, as the candidate country must meet several criteria, align its laws with those of the EU, and wait for ratification of the accession treaty by the parliaments of all EU member states.<\/p>\n
The application criteria, known as the \u201cCopenhagen Criteria,\u201d relate to the stability of democracy, rule of law, and the functioning of the market economy.<\/p>\n
For Western Balkan countries, additional conditions have been set through the Stabilisation and Association Process.<\/p>\n
Croatia\u2014the last country to join the EU in 2013\u2014had applied less than a year and a half after signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. However, the entire process until Croatia’s EU accession lasted 12 years.<\/p>\n
Kosovo\u2019s journey may be more complex than Croatia\u2019s, as it will be the first time a country applies for membership without being officially recognized by all EU member states. The countries that do not recognize Kosovo\u2019s independence are Spain, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has called on the European Union to address Kosovo\u2019s application for EU membership, stating that Kosovo has \u201cno Plan B\u201d and is fully committed to integration into the European bloc. \u201cIt is time for Kosovo and the EU to intensify joint efforts to overcome the obstacles that hinder Kosovo\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":77720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,1803],"tags":[1204,308,150,243,151,3982,1949],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n