Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has demanded that the European Union review Kosovo’s application for membership and pave the way for starting membership negotiations, stressing that the country should not be treated differently from other Western Balkan states.
Kurti submitted this request during an address and discussion at the Institute for International and European Affairs ( IIEA) in Dublin, Ireland, where he was invited to speak on the topic of Kosovo’s journey: from citizenship towards European integration, the prime minister’s office reports.
During the speech, Kurti has stressed that Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans that has not yet received EU membership candidate status, though the application has submitted on 15 December 2022, during the Czech presidency of the European Union Council.
Irland is the eighth presidency since then and we still remain the only country in the Western Balkans without candidate status. Our application must be assessed and we must start negotiations on membership. We’ve never asked for special treatment, just equal treatment, Kurti declared.
He has estimated that Kosovo has noted progress in bringing legislation, policies and institutions to European standards, especially since the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2016.
According to him, reforms have been undertaken during this period in the energy sector, public administration, employment and industrial development, while the country has accelerated the green and digital transition.
The prime minister has also demanded that the European integration process be fair and reliable, stressing that bilateral disputes should not hinder Kosovo’s progress in other areas.
Bilateral disputes should have their own chapter in the membership process so that an issue does not block progress in all other areas that improve the lives of citizens, he has said.
In his address, Kurti has also stopped in the relationship between Kosovo and Ireland, citing common values, diaspora role and historical connection through Mother Teresa. He recalled that Mother Teresa, at the age of 18, had traveled to Dublin to join the Loreto Sisters.
Kurti has expressed gratitude for recognising Kosovo’s independence from Ireland in 2008, the same month the country declared independence.
Speaking of domestic developments, the prime minister has cited democratic progress, economic growth and institutional reforms. He has declared that Kosovo’s economy over the past decade has grown by an average of over four percent annually, despite challenges caused by pandemic, energy crisis and inflation.
Part of the talk has also cost him security issues, where he mentioned the terrorist attack in Zvecan Banjsk on September 24, 2023, as well as the attack on critical infrastructure at Zubin Potok’s Varag, November 29, 2024.
According to Kurti, these attacks prove that Serbia continues to maintain an aggressive approach to Kosovo and poses a threat to national security.
responsibility is essential not only to justice but also to prevent future attacks, he has declared.
Finally, Kurti has reiterated that Kosovo’s strategic goals remain membership in the European Union and NATO. He has stressed that Kosovo is fully harmonised with the EU Joint Foreign and Security Policy, including sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.
The prime minister has voiced expectations that Ireland, during its EU Council presidency and even after its completion, will continue to support Kosovo’s path towards European integration.
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Source Layer: Signal
