Mazreku: Kosovo demonstrated commitment to the EU at the Brdo–Brijuni Summit but remains far from membership

Professor of European Law at the University of Pristina, Avni Mazreku, told Kosovo Online that although the main topic of yesterday’s Brdo–Brijuni Process Summit in Durrës was the acceleration of European integration, the issue of Kosovo remains unresolved and open.

Mazreku explained that countries aspiring to join the European Union must be recognized by all member states, as the EU’s decision-making process—particularly in the fields of foreign policy and enlargement—operates on the principle of unanimity.

“In this case, it means that no state which has not recognized Kosovo can ratify an agreement on its membership, which remains a crucial and unresolved issue. As for the other Western Balkan countries, except for the Kosovo–Serbia relations which are still in the dialogue process under EU, U.S., and other international mediation, the situation is considerably more stable. Relations between Albania and Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, as well as Albania and Montenegro, do not pose an obstacle for the region, as the criterion of good-neighborly relations in these cases is generally progressing. Albania and Montenegro have made relative progress on their path toward European integration,” Mazreku said.

Commenting on the statement of Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani, who after the Brdo–Brijuni Summit in Durrës said that Kosovo would be very close to EU membership if the enlargement process were based solely on merit, Mazreku reminded that Kosovo still cannot become an EU member without recognition by the remaining five member states.

“If we try to interpret Ms. Osmani’s statement, I think it goes in the direction of emphasizing that the people of Kosovo are among the most pro-European in comparison with EU member states. In many surveys, over 90 percent of Kosovo citizens voted in favor of EU membership. The Government of Kosovo, in any political configuration, has never opposed EU policies. That is why Kosovo is considered pro-European. Kosovo seeks to join the EU and does not oppose EU policies regarding internal political, economic, or legal organization. In this context, President Osmani’s statement indicates that Kosovo is close to the EU in terms of values and orientation, though not in the formal sense of progress in the accession process,” Mazreku concluded.