Osmani at EU-Western Balkans summit: EU is doing injustice to Kosovo

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has criticized the European Union for being “unfair” towards Kosovo in its policies in the Western Balkans, not removing the punitive measures against it and showing no willingness to consider its request for membership in block.

Speaking after arriving in Brussels on Wednesday for the EU-Western Balkans summit, Osmani said that “it seems that there are tendencies in the EU from some member states for Kosovo to be constantly punished”.

She said that meetings like this summit are a good opportunity to advance the European perspective of the entire region, but that, according to her, in the process of enlargement, the EU is doing “injustice” to Kosovo.

Kosovo has applied for membership in the European Union on December 15, 2022, but its request has not yet been reviewed, and as a result, it is the only country in the Balkans that does not yet have the status of a candidate country.

Osmani insisted that if there is political will on the part of the EU, modalities can be found to mandate the European Commission to examine Kosovo’s application for membership.

Osmani also spoke about the issue of the EU’s punitive measures against Kosovo, saying that, in addition to being “unfair”, they are also “un-European” because, as he said, “they are punishing a people with 1.7 million inhabitants, which is the most pro-European nation on earth, with over 97 percent of its citizens supporting the EU integration process”.

The European bloc imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in 2023, after the increase in tensions in the north of the country. The EU has assessed that the Government of Kosovo has not done enough for expansion.