Dutch Member of the European Parliament Thijs Reuten reaffirmed his support for Kosovo’s path toward European Union membership.
Kosovo officially applied for EU membership in December 2022 during the Czech Presidency, but no steps have yet been taken to review the application.
Speaking to A2 CNN, MEP Reuten stated that there is no justification for Kosovo’s application to remain shelved for such a long time.
“An important step is for Kosovo’s application to finally enter the process. I cannot accept that it has remained on the shelf for so long. There is absolutely no reason for this. We can move forward with the process, even though some EU member states still do not recognize Kosovo. That is true, but we can nevertheless proceed with the review of the membership application,” said Thijs Reuten.
Reuten also expressed optimism regarding the lifting of EU sanctions against Kosovo, especially now that Serbian mayors are expected to return to northern municipalities.
“Now that local elections have concluded, the sanctions against Kosovo should be removed. In my view, they should never have been imposed and should have been lifted long ago. But now, as new municipal mayors take office, I believe this is the moment for the Commission and member states to remove the sanctions,” the MEP added.
Regarding the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, the Dutch MEP—part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament—hopes the process will take a new direction.
“For the dialogue, it is clear that a new momentum is needed. We cannot continue with the routine of recent years. I hope Commissioner Kos will take steps forward, and with the new dialogue mediator [Peter Sorensen], the process will change, resolving the excessive linkage that has been made between dialogue progress and EU membership. This has allowed for blockages, especially for Kosovo, in advancing toward candidate status and EU accession,” he said.
Reuten emphasized that the dialogue should not become an obstacle to Kosovo’s EU membership application, urging that the mediator treat both parties equally.
“The European Union must be strict and fair in its approach to both countries, which has not happened so far. There has been an unbalanced approach. What we need from everyone, including Kosovo, is to close this chapter and commit to taking real steps forward. For this to happen, the EU must be clear about what it expects from the process and not link it so tightly to progress on the membership path,” said Thijs Reuten.
Kosovo has long sought a review of its application, the provision of a questionnaire, and the granting of candidate status for EU membership, but these requests have not yet been addressed.
