Palokaj: The EU cannot do anything in the process of electing the President of Kosovo

Journalist Augustin Palokaj stated that there will be no direct involvement of the European Union in resolving political crises in Kosovo, such as the process of electing the president, because the Union expects Kosovo’s politicians to show maturity and overcome institutional blockages.

“The European Union cannot be clearer and cannot do more. No one else can do more. In the past, they did more through direct involvement – you are not able to resolve the issue of the president, we will show you whom to elect. But now they no longer want to interfere. There are no more envelopes, interference, or international cheering. All they can do is call on the citizens of Kosovo to overcome these problems on their own and, through overcoming them, show maturity and then be more prepared to improve international cooperation, not only with the EU but also with individual states,” Palokaj said, as reported by Koha.

Palokaj assessed that Kosovo is an “isolated island” in Europe and that it has not even been allowed to reach the station from which the train to the EU departs.

“Kosovo is the only country on the European continent that has applied for EU membership, but whose application has not been considered at all. The enlargement process is measured by opening chapters, closing chapters, completing negotiations, and membership, and Kosovo has not even been allowed to reach the station from which the train for the European Union departs,” Palokaj said.

Speaking about the financial consequences for Pristina due to delays in forming institutions, he mentioned that Kosovo risks losing more than 250 million euros from EU funds.

“We will lose more than 90 million euros this June, while we will lose 165 million euros in December, which together amounts to more than 250 million euros. Then comes 2027, which is actually the year when the Growth Plan for all Western Balkan countries is supposed to expire, and Kosovo has more than 800 million euros available. Even if we lose half, that is a lot, let alone if we lose more than half. The question now is how much of those funds Kosovo will manage to preserve, not how much it will lose,” Palokaj concluded.