During the Congress of the Party of European Socialists (PES) held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV) officially became an associate party within the PES — the highest status a political party from a non-EU country can hold before its state joins the European Union.
In his address, Albin Kurti, leader of Vetëvendosje and acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, highlighted the importance of this status, discussed Kosovo’s recent local election results, and reiterated two main requests at the European level: the lifting of EU punitive measures against Kosovo and the submission of the European Commission’s Questionnaire for Kosovo’s EU membership application.
“Kosova has two main requests at the European level: the full removal of the so-called punitive measures, which have proven to be unfair and unnecessary; and the delivery of the European Commission’s Questionnaire, whose delay cannot be justified if the European Union truly follows a merit-based process,” Kurti stated.
Kurti emphasized Kosovo’s unwavering commitment to European values, democracy, and solidarity:
“We reaffirm our strong determination to be part of the European family and to contribute to our shared solutions to global challenges that weaken the Union’s cohesion.”
He also underlined the achievements of his government in rule of law and social policy reforms, calling for unity against emerging threats to democracy:
“Let us strengthen our democracies and solidarity against the new dark forces of fascism, and together, let us rewrite the history of renewed social-democratic thought and action for the good of all European citizens.”
Joining Kurti at the PES Congress were Alim Rama, Organizational Secretary of Vetëvendosje, and Tinka Kurti, a member of the party’s presidency.
