Kosovo’s President, Vjosa Osmani, traveled to Brussels with sharp criticism and accusations directed at the European Union, which she said was treating her country unjustly. These criticisms were addressed by the President of the European Commission, but they remained unaddressed in the final declaration of the EU-Western Balkans summit.
President Osmani was very harsh during her meeting with EU leaders yesterday, alongside other leaders from the Western Balkans.
Just before the start of the EU-Western Balkans summit, she spoke loudly to the press in Brussels, expressing her disappointment with how Kosovo was being treated by some EU member states, mentioning the punitive measures against the country, which continue to remain in force.
“To be honest, I am disappointed with the treatment Kosovo is receiving from some EU member states. If I am asked why, the clear reason is that there has been no progress in lifting the measures against Kosovo. They are still in place and, as we saw in the Council conclusions, they won’t be lifted in December either. These are unfair and non-European. There is nothing European about them, and nothing based on values. Punishing people even in projects like drinking water…,” said Osmani.
She thanked the two-thirds of EU member states that she said supported the lifting of these measures, while asking the others, “What is European about punishing 1.7 million Europeans living in Kosovo, in the most pro-European country in the world, where 97% of the population believes in the European path?”
Osmani said that Kosovo remains penalized despite having met “all the conditions set by the EU.”
“Our people remain punished, even though we have met all the conditions required by the EU. We have also applied for membership over two years ago, but our application is still somewhere in a drawer and has not been reviewed,” said Osmani.
The issue of the measures was addressed in the conclusions of the EU member states’ foreign ministers, which called on Kosovo to take further steps to de-escalate the situation in the north of the country.
“In line with the High Representative’s statement on behalf of the EU, the EU has implemented reversible measures against Kosovo. The EU will gradually lift these measures in parallel with Kosovo’s steps to de-escalate the situation in the north. The Council will continue to address this issue,” the conclusions of the meeting held on December 17 emphasized.
Kosovo has had its EU membership application submitted for two years, but it has remained unexamined. The president said she did not see the necessary political will from some EU member states to support Kosovo on its European path.
Although she congratulated Albania and Montenegro as the only two countries in the region that have been considered to have made progress on their path to the EU, Osmani said that Kosovo is receiving a message from the EU that “the more aligned you are with Russia, Iran, and China, the more progress you make, opening new clusters and closing chapters in the EU accession process.” But, if you are fully aligned with the EU, “then there is no progress,” she added. This process, according to her, “is not merit-based.”
Osmani accused “Serbian gangs” of the attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal at the end of November.
“Serbia’s continued aggression against Kosovo is against the principles of international law and against the values of good neighborliness, which are EU values,” she said.
While Serbia did not take responsibility for “the aggressions of last year,” Osmani said that “it is being rewarded and making great strides with the opening of new chapters.”
After the summit, Osmani expressed her disappointment on Facebook. She said that in talks with EU leaders and member states, she emphasized that “if the principle of meritocracy is respected, as it is proclaimed, then concrete steps should be taken forward on this journey, starting with the immediate consideration of our membership application and the removal of measures against Kosovo, which are unjust and non-European.”
“There can be no successful integration of the Western Balkans countries if peace and security are constantly at risk. Therefore, holding Serbia accountable for its ongoing acts of aggression against Kosovo is key,” she wrote on Facebook.
It was reported that she sent a letter to EU member states expressing reservations about the final EU-Western Balkans declaration following the summit, as it “does not condemn the terrorist acts in northern Kosovo.”
In her letter, Osmani expressed Kosovo’s “disappointment that the Declaration does not condemn the act of aggression and terrorism against Kosovo, carried out on September 24, 2023, by the paramilitary and terrorist group, with logistical and political support from Serbia.” She pointed out that “Kosovo has taken the necessary steps to reduce tensions in the north, and despite this, the punitive measures against Kosovo have not been lifted, while no measures have been taken against Serbia for its repeated acts of aggression.”
In the final declaration issued after the summit, Kosovo and Serbia were urged to make progress in the process of normalizing their relations by fulfilling obligations from agreements reached.
“The agreements reached within the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, including the Agreement for the path towards normalization, should be implemented without further delays. The Council calls on all partners to ensure the rights and equal treatment of persons belonging to minorities,” the declaration said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “The European Commission is ready to prepare an opinion on Kosovo’s candidate status and lift the measures, but for this, we need unanimity in the Council,” when asked in a press conference after the summit about Osmani’s criticisms.
“We are working to get this and we are ready. The same applies to the measures. We are absolutely ready to lift them, but here, too, we need unanimity among the member states, which we do not have right now, but we are working hard to achieve it, because it is important that Kosovo moves forward,” said von der Leyen.
