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What more should Kosovo do to have EU measures lifted?

2025-12-12 21:29:33Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
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Officials in Kosovo insist that EU demands for the removal of measures that damaged the country in millions of dollars have been met.

When the European Union imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in the summer of 2023, as a result of tensions in the Serb-majority north, they were described as temporary, while the conditions for their lifting were clear.

Officials in Kosovo insist that the EU's demands for the removal of measures that damaged the country in millions of dollars have been met: the situation in the north has been de-escalated, the police presence near municipal facilities in the north has been reduced, Serbs have participated in the elections held this year, and the peaceful transfer of power in Serb-majority municipalities has been achieved.

But, in recent days, it was reported in the Kosovo media, based on sources within the EU, that countries like France and Italy, supported by Spain, Hungary and Slovakia, have no will to lift the sanctions.

Rikard Jozwiak, Europe editor for Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) in Prague, says it is true that the issue of not lifting all measures against Kosovo was discussed in Brussels this week, and that France and Italy are supporters of the idea of ??lifting only 50 percent of them.

According to him, Paris insists on this stance because it demands that Belgrade open the chapters for EU membership, and is angry that others are blocking the process.

“There is also a general argument that Brussels cannot give this ‘gift’ to [Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin] Kurti before the December 28 elections. Whether this is a valid argument or not has been questioned by others, as the main opposition party [Democratic Party of Kosovo] recently sent a letter to [EU chief Ursula] Von der Leyen, demanding the complete lifting [of the measures] immediately. So it is not perceived as a gift to Kurti by anyone, except for a small number of EU states,” says Jozwiak.

A European Union spokeswoman told REL that the European bloc aims to continue lifting measures, a process that partially began in May of this year.

According to her, Brussels is ready to work with Kosovo's authorities once they are elected, and the bloc expects Kosovo to return to the path of necessary EU-related reforms. But for the incumbent Kosovo government, early parliamentary elections have nothing to do with the measures.

"Any further delay only deepens the absurdity of the measures, and undermines the credibility of the EU. Our position is that the measures must be lifted immediately and completely," says Klisman Kadiu, media advisor to acting Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, in several written responses to REL.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani also said, in a meeting this week with the European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Riho Terras, that the continuation of the punitive measures remains “inexplicable, unjust and unreasonable.” Terras also said that the measures should be lifted immediately.

Could Kosovo do more?

Describing the continuation of the EU measures as total absurdity, Besar Gërgi from the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) says that Kosovo has lost a lot of time this year, in the absence of new institutions, and that it could work harder to lift the measures.

Gërgi believes that the formation of new institutions is a prerequisite for lifting the measures, while communication with the hesitant parties should be a priority. According to him, politics, especially nowadays, is not done based on moral considerations, but is done only for political interests.

"The new government must work actively with allies, unfortunately there has not been much communication this year, the focus has been on creating numbers, and this has created stagnation in Kosovo's foreign policy. Therefore, if we talk about a functional government, this is the essential minimum," he tells REL, also mentioning the need to approve agreements with the EU, such as the Growth Plan, at the earliest possible moment.

According to him, time has also been wasted by not dealing with the technical aspect of European integration. Kosovo applied for EU membership in 2022, but its application has never been considered, leaving it the only country in the Western Balkans without candidate status for membership in the bloc.

Gërgi believes that, in addition to the lack of communication, the vote in the Central Election Commission against the participation of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, in the parliamentary race has also contributed to the increase in the level of hesitation in some places.

How much has Kosovo been damaged by the measures?

According to an analysis by the Institute for Advanced Studies – GAP, EU measures have cost Kosovo around 613.4 million euros in suspended or indefinitely postponed projects. Due to missed deadlines, 7.1 million euros have been lost entirely.

The most affected sectors include the environment, with 350 million euros, energy with 114 million euros, digitalization with around 57 million euros, and culture with 15 million euros.

Of these funds, around 218 million euros were for projects under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II and IPA III), and around 395 million euros for projects under the European Union Investment Framework for the Western Balkans region (WBIF)./ REL


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