Kosovo welcomes any initiative aimed at accelerating European Union integration, but remains cautious about proposals that could create a prolonged intermediate status, acting Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca has said.
In an interview for Radio Free Europe, Konjufca commented on recent discussions about an “associate membership” concept proposed in EU circles, stressing that Kosovo supports faster integration but rejects any model that creates a “waiting room” within the European Union.
“We welcome every new plan that aims to speed up the integration of Western Balkan countries into the European Union… Kosovo’s position is that we do not support any proposal that creates waiting rooms in the EU,” Konjufca said.
He added that Kosovo could support ideas such as deeper participation in the EU Single Market, but emphasized that key details of such initiatives are still unclear.
Konjufca also noted that the EU enlargement process is often slowed by political issues, particularly relations with Serbia and the position of non-recognizing EU member states, rather than by Kosovo’s reform progress.
According to him, Kosovo has made significant progress in implementing the EU Reform Agenda and remains strongly committed to European integration, although political obstacles continue to affect its application for candidate status.
He further warned that internal political instability could also impact EU financial support under the Growth Plan, urging institutional stability ahead of upcoming elections.
Despite challenges, Konjufca expressed optimism about Kosovo’s political future, saying he expects the upcoming elections to produce stable institutions and long-term governance continuity.
