The Head of the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav, said on Wednesday that he hopes Kosovo will form the new government as soon as possible, with which the EU bloc can work on the country’s path toward European integration.
Speaking at a conference in Prishtina titled “Kosovo Towards the European Union: The Road to a Solution,” Orav said Kosovo can take steps that bring the country closer to the EU.
Kosovo applied for EU membership on December 15, 2022, but its application has not yet been reviewed, and as a result, it remains the only country in the Balkans without candidate status.
“Now, what we expect a lot from Kosovo is, first, to have a partner. Yes, we have a partner, the president – but we also need the executive power,” Orav emphasized at the conference organized by Lëvizja FOL and the Prishtina Institute for Political Studies.
He added that the EU needs “a partner to talk with about the next steps, how to move closer to the European Union. We very much hope the government will be formed as soon as possible.”
Kosovo is failing to form new institutions despite more than three months passing since the parliamentary elections on February 9.
The political deadlock comes because no party won a majority to govern alone and because of a lack of willingness from political parties to create a governing coalition.
Orav also spoke about other issues, including the EU sanctions on Kosovo and the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
Regarding sanctions, which the EU said last week it has started to gradually lift, Orav stated that Kosovo needs to cooperate closely with the bloc for their full removal.
Regarding the Association, Orav stressed that the EU has always been clear that it must be established.
“A topic everyone talks about but is less preferred to mention by politicians here in Kosovo is the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. It must be done, and it is better to do it sooner rather than later to move forward. My message is that we in the EU are ready to move forward, and we very much hope Kosovo will do the same,” he said.
In October 2023, EU, US, France, Germany, and Italy envoys offered Kosovo and Serbia a draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, but Kosovo has not accepted its establishment.
The acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has not agreed to send this draft statute for review to the Kosovo Constitutional Court — a step that would have marked the first toward its creation.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on March 21 that the EU-drafted statute for the Association is not in accordance with Kosovo’s Constitution and said she communicated this to Sorensen during his visit to Prishtina on March 17.
