Spahiu: Kosovo’s EU integration depends on five non-recognizing member states

Analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu stated that Kosovo’s European path does not depend on its internal political situation, but rather on the fact that five European Union member states do not recognize its independence. According to him, EU integration will not be a topic of any potential pre-election campaign, despite citizens’ interest in EU membership.

“It does not depend on the political situation. It depends primarily on the fact that five EU countries have not recognized Kosovo, which places Kosovo outside the competition compared to the other five Western Balkan countries, which are in a completely different position,” he told Kosovo Online.

Speaking about whether EU integration could become an argument in a potential pre-election campaign, Spahiu said that the key focus of such a campaign would be assigning blame for the failure to elect a president, as well as issues of corruption and crime.
“Mutual accusations, the European Union, and global developments will not be the subject of the campaign. Our political class has no sensitivity for that,” Spahiu assessed.
He emphasizes that Kosovo’s citizens do not believe that the European path or the pace of EU integration depends on which party is in power, but adds that there is nevertheless interest in accession to the EU.
“There is interest in EU membership. Kosovo’s citizens would like to be part of the EU, to be able to move freely and to have free movement of goods, but they have no clear idea how to get there or which politicians could achieve that more quickly,” Spahiu said.