The European Commission has confirmed that it has “begun work” on the gradual removal of punitive measures imposed on Kosovo.
In a written response to the media, the European Commission’s press office emphasized that the removal process will be gradual, conditional, and reversible.
It was also confirmed that this phase followed an exchange of positions among EU member states during the April meeting of foreign ministers.
Unofficial sources indicate that, for the moment, the start of this gradual removal is more symbolic than substantive.
The European Union has lifted the freeze on the functioning of subcommittees with Kosovo and has resumed technical assistance from the Western Balkans Investment Fund, RTK reports.
According to several diplomatic sources in Brussels, this is currently the maximum the EU can offer, as the full removal of the measures requires unanimous consent from all member states. Achieving such consensus is said to depend on clear actions by the Kosovo authorities, in line with the December conclusions, which emphasized that the gradual lifting of the measures will take place in parallel with concrete steps taken by Kosovo to de-escalate tensions in the north of the country.
