Kosovo: Normalization with Serbia, a prerequisite for Kosovo's EU membership process

European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, told REL that the normalization of Kosovo's relations with Serbia is a prerequisite for Kosovo to be able to obtain candidate country status and begin the EU membership process.

Kosovo applied for EU membership on December 15, 2022, and now it remains the only country in the region that does not yet have candidate country status.

"We are waiting for the [formation of] the new government. I am in contact with the politicians there, and they claim that they are very much in favor of normalizing relations with Serbia, which is a prerequisite for the negotiation process to start or for candidate status to be granted," Kos said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

She said that it is very important that the next government of Kosovo fulfills certain preconditions "that must be fulfilled," without mentioning what they are.

Kosovo is being led by an acting government as the new legislature has not yet been constituted, more than a month after the certification of the results of the parliamentary elections held on February 9.

The process of a country's accession to the EU takes time, as the candidate country must meet several criteria, adapt its laws to those of the EU, and await ratification of the accession treaty in the parliaments of each EU member state.

Kosovo is still in the initial stages of accession, as it has not yet received candidate country status. To do this, the European Commission must first give its consent to the application for membership and then the European Council must unanimously confirm the status as a candidate country.

"I have not received any signal from the member states or from the Danish presidency [of the European Council] that this [acquiring the status during the Danish presidency] could happen. But I think it would be very good to start," she said.

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