As the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approaches next month, Kosovo’s application for membership remains unclear. The Government of Kosovo has not provided information on whether the application will be included in the agenda for the upcoming meeting, which is set to take place in May. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe has refrained from commenting on Kosovo’s application, stating that the session’s agenda has yet to be finalized.
With only a month remaining until the Committee of Ministers’ meeting, the fate of Kosovo’s membership application remains uncertain. Despite inquiries from KOHË news outlet, the Government of Kosovo has not clarified any actions taken to ensure the inclusion of the application on the agenda.
The Council of Europe, in response to questions about Kosovo’s application, stated that the agenda for the ministerial session has not yet been approved. “The agenda of the ministerial session has not been adopted yet. We will keep you informed,” they said.
According to the Council of Europe’s procedures, the agenda must be approved this month.
Last year, Kosovo’s absence from the Committee’s agenda was influenced by the failure to proceed with the draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. This draft, created by the European Union, had not been sent to the Kosovo Constitutional Court for review, despite requests from the EU and Council of Europe member states.
In her report, Dora Bakojanis described the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities as a “post-membership commitment” for Kosovo.
A Council commission has also recommended initiating a monitoring procedure for Kosovo to ensure that it fulfills its commitments and obligations following its membership.
Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe in May 2022, and the process has passed several key stages, including a positive recommendation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council in April 2024.
The final decision rests with the Committee of Ministers, the body that represents the governments of member states. To date, it has not decided whether Kosovo’s application will be part of the May meeting’s agenda.
The delay in voting has created uncertainty about when Kosovo will be included in the Committee of Ministers’ agenda. In the past, countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina took nearly five years to complete this process.
Of the 46 member states in the Council of Europe, Kosovo needs the support of two-thirds of the members to join.
