In a speech delivered before lawmakers in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, mentioned Kosovo.
The senior official of the European Union stated that the union’s expansion is different today than it was four or five years ago. “Now we have a new positive moment in the EU,” was her comment.
“For the first time in the last decade, we have the opportunity during our mandate to add one, two, or three new member states to the EU. But I have made it clear to our partners in recent weeks that there will be no concessions when it comes to the fundamental criteria and values of the EU,” said Kos.
Kos announced that she would soon visit Montenegro and Albania, which she considers more advanced in the enlargement process.
“Montenegro aims to complete its negotiations by 2026, and Albania by 2027. We will support them, although a lot of work is still needed. The merit-based principle of the process should apply to both candidate countries and EU member states. Therefore, when the candidates meet the criteria, then EU member states should enable progress,” she added.
Regarding Kosovo, the commissioner spoke at the end when asked by an MEP about expectations from the upcoming elections.
“There will be elections there. I do not expect progress before the elections, but I can say that very soon after, there will be movement. Because we cannot talk about the Western Balkans without addressing the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, or what has been done separately by Kosovo and what Serbia is doing,” concluded Kos.
The Commissioner emphasized that she expects positive developments in the enlargement process this year, anticipating greater success than in the last decade. Under the Polish presidency, we could make much more progress than we have in the past 10 years. Up to ten intergovernmental conferences may be held, she underlined.
