Muhaxhiri: In times of extreme populism, Europe must be reshaped

Political analyst from Pristina, Artan Muhaxhiri, stated that Europe Day is a reminder of the effort and sacrifices that led to the cohesion of the old continent, but that due to rising extreme populism, the EU must undergo a reshaping.

“Europe Day is a nice reminder of all the effort, all the sacrifices made to achieve this kind of cohesion in Europe, socially, economically, and sometimes even politically. However, I believe that in these times of extreme populism, Europe needs to reinvent itself, to be reshaped in order to become more suited to the current changes happening, especially in political and military terms,” Muhaxhiri said on the occasion of Europe Day.

He explained that this reshaping is necessary due to current security threats.

“Some ideas that were once very good now seem idealistic, and with the current threats on all levels, I believe even Europe must reinvent itself and become much more decisive and much stronger,” Muhaxhiri said.

He believes that support for European integration is much stronger in Kosovo than in Serbia, and attributes this to historical, political, and religious factors.

He also warns that the prolonged process of dialogue on normalizing relations has weakened public support in Kosovo.

“I don’t think it’s the same as it used to be in Kosovo, because hopes were very, very high, especially 10 to 15 years ago. However, the dialogue process has dragged on too long, and I think most people have lost faith that only Europe can bring Kosovo and Serbia to signing a final agreement. The US is also pressuring both Europe and Kosovo and Serbia. But there are many variables, and each of them needs to be aligned to achieve a result,” the analyst emphasized.

He pointed out that Belgrade has a different approach because of the support it receives from Moscow.

“Serbia has a different approach because the political establishment there has another connection, support from Russia, which is incomparable to the EU’s integration plans. And everyone says that. So, the problem is that Europe needs to be much more present in both Kosovo and Serbia. And perhaps improve this carrot-and-stick approach in order to create a much more positive and constructive attitude from both Kosovo and Serbia,” Muhaxhiri concluded.