The office of Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi has stated that Kosovo is ready to continue its journey towards integration into the European Union, referencing the application for membership submitted in 2022.
In a response to Klan Kosova, Bislimi’s office highlighted the steps and work Kosovo has undertaken in its European path. It emphasized Kosovo’s commitment to reforms and progress toward meeting EU standards.
“Our application for EU membership, coupled with an unprecedented level of reform implementation, demonstrated by the 72% implementation rate of the ERA II reform agenda compared to 45% in previous governments, the implementation of the National Programme for European Integration with 66%, the achievement of visa liberalization after many years of waiting, progress in rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption, and economic growth, all show that our country is ready for further steps on the path to EU integration and alignment with EU standards,” the office stated.
Additionally, it was emphasized that Kosovo is ready to initiate all the necessary procedures for EU membership. The country stands with high willingness and determination to demonstrate its institutional preparedness whenever the EU is ready to open this path to Kosovo.
“This was also evidenced through the Growth Plan and the extensive work done in this process, where we were congratulated by the EU for our level of preparedness. We are now waiting for the receipt of the questionnaire and the assessment based on meritocracy to advance in the process.”
It was also mentioned that Bislimi, during his recent visit to Warsaw, Poland, started early consultations with the upcoming Polish EU presidency regarding the attainment of candidate status for Kosovo.
“Kosovo deserves to receive the status of a candidate country, and we will prove this by submitting the completed questionnaire according to the criteria and deadlines set by the European Union. We remain fully committed to arguing the importance of this step and Kosovo’s level of preparedness. Therefore, we expect concrete steps with the arrival of the new constellation in the EU institutions and the upcoming Polish presidency starting in January. Our consultations with the Polish Presidency began earlier, especially during Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi’s recent visit to Warsaw,” the office added.
