Dear Marilena,
Dear representatives of the European Commission,
Dear colleagues,
Kosovo is the only country in the enlargement process that is still not a candidate country. It is time for this to change.
I will begin with the fundamentals (the first cluster of enlargement), because credibility starts there.
Kosovo is the regional leader in the Western Balkans in democratic governance, as confirmed by Freedom House, Transparency International, the World Press Freedom Index, the World Justice Project, and the V-Dem Institute. Our elections are free, fair, and competitive; our judiciary is independent; our press is free and our media environment is dynamic; our civil society is active.
We have the most advanced constitutional framework for minority rights in the region. Legal experts of the Council of Europe, during the assessment of our application for membership, concluded that Kosovo’s legal framework, in the case of the Constitution, goes beyond international standards.
We have contractual relations with the EU through the Stabilization and Association Agreement, we have enjoyed visa liberalization since 1 January 2024, we are part of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and part of the EU pre-accession instruments.
We have condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine in the strongest terms; we have provided military and humanitarian support, hosted Ukrainian journalists, and joined all sanctions against the Russian Federation. Just last week, we aligned ourselves with all 45 Council decisions and declarations of the High Representative under the Common Foreign and Security Policy. We are fully aligned with the EU.
And we are grateful for the assistance and contribution of the European Union, which has created significant opportunities for our citizens.
And yet, despite all our progress, we remain the only country in the Western Balkans without candidate country status and without a decision to open accession negotiations.
The enlargement promise made in Thessaloniki in 2003 must be translated into practice. What is needed is unity in commitment. Enlargement is the European Union’s most successful foreign policy instrument for transforming aspiring countries into consolidated democracies. Kosovo has embraced the fundamental values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.
Now EU member states must remain faithful to their promise and reward those who embrace its values. This is the duty of every member of the Union, large or small.
In the spirit of the Schuman Declaration, which we commemorated two days ago, we recall that the European Union is, above all, a peace project — the greatest and most successful one in Europe since the Second World War. Every member that joined has benefited from this promise. They should not deny it to those who wait and aspire to join.
We are not asking for shortcuts or a back door; we are only asking for a merit-based process.
I thank the Cypriot Presidency for its hospitality.
More than 40 months have passed since we applied for membership. Still, no decision has been taken on candidate status, despite the repeated position of the European Commission that it is ready to provide an opinion.
It is time for the EU to keep its promise. It is time for candidate status for Kosovo to become official.
Thank you!
