Deda: Kosovo's request for EU membership is not currently on the table in Brussels

Associate at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Ilir Deda, says that Kosovo's request to obtain candidate status for European Union membership is not currently on the table in Brussels, despite the fact that Kosovo officials believe the moment has come for it.

"Anyone can have expectations. Regardless of such requests, the European Union and Germany have concrete expectations from the Kosovo Government, as well as decisions that need to be made ahead of the Berlin Process Leaders' Summit on October 14, which might then open the door for further discussions regarding Kosovo's EU membership request," Deda told Kosovo Online.

He pointed out that this issue had been "part of a package" earlier this year, but that the Kosovo Government had rejected it.

"This was considered when Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe was a current issue, and when Kosovo was asked to submit a draft Statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities to the Constitutional Court for review. At that time, part of the broader agreement package included the consideration of the EU’s decision on Kosovo’s request for membership, which Kosovo submitted two years ago. Now it is no longer on the table, and I don't believe it is being considered within the EU," Deda stated.