French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed hope that the election of Kosovo’s new president, Justina Shiroka Pula, will give fresh momentum to the country’s progress toward European Union membership, while emphasizing the importance of normalizing relations with Serbia.
In a congratulatory message marking Shiroka Pula’s assumption of office, Macron reaffirmed the partnership between France and Kosovo and Paris’s support for the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
According to a statement from Kosovo’s Presidency, the French president said he hoped the new president’s election would help advance initiatives contributing to Kosovo’s European perspective.
Macron’s message comes as Kosovo continues to face delays in its EU integration process, while agreements reached with Serbia on the normalization of relations remain largely unimplemented.
Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022, but member states have yet to consider its application, and the country remains a potential candidate. Five EU members — Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus — do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, creating an additional political obstacle to its integration prospects.
France recognized Kosovo’s independence in 2008 and supports its European perspective, while maintaining that progress must be accompanied by reforms and implementation of commitments arising from the dialogue with Serbia.
In its 2026 report, published on November 4, the European Commission said the political crisis and institutional deadlock had slowed the implementation of reforms in Kosovo.
Kosovo now has fully established institutions. Shiroka Pula was elected president on October 7, while the government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti began a new four-year term in September.
Normalization with Serbia remains a key condition
In his letter to Shiroka Pula, Macron reiterated France’s support for the EU-mediated dialogue and identified normalization of relations with Serbia as one of the key issues shaping Kosovo’s European future.
Kosovo and Serbia reached the Agreement on the Path to Normalization in Brussels in February 2023 and agreed on its implementation annex in Ohrid the following month.
The agreement envisages the development of good-neighborly relations, mutual recognition of documents and symbols, and Serbia’s obligation not to obstruct Kosovo’s membership in international organizations.
It also includes Kosovo’s commitment to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community.
However, implementation has stalled, with both Kosovo and Serbia continuing to accuse each other of failing to fulfill their commitments.
The European Union has repeatedly stressed that implementing agreements reached through the dialogue is an integral part of both countries’ European integration processes. France maintains the same position.
During his visit to Kosovo in July, French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad also linked Kosovo’s progress toward EU membership to the fulfillment of commitments reached in the dialogue with Serbia.
Kosovo and France strengthen bilateral cooperation
Beyond political issues, Macron also referred to recent developments in bilateral relations between France and Kosovo.
He recalled his meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Paris in March, when the two leaders discussed Kosovo’s European integration, regional security and stronger relations between their countries.
Cooperation gained further momentum in July, when Haddad’s visit to Prishtina resulted in the signing of four agreements and a declaration of intent covering justice, education and sports.
Two agreements concern extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the countries’ judicial institutions.
Another agreement provides for a €60 million loan from the French Development Agency to support infrastructure investments connected with preparations for the Prishtina 2030 Mediterranean Games.
The two sides also signed a declaration of intent concerning the organization of the Games and an agreement to expand French-language education in Kosovo.
The July agreements were discussed again during a meeting between Kurti and Haddad on October 22, held on the sidelines of the Berlin Process summit in Montenegro.
Macron’s message therefore combines continued French support for Kosovo’s European aspirations with an emphasis on reforms, regional cooperation and progress in the normalization process with Serbia.
