Vujacic: EU candidate status and Kosovo's entry into the UN ruled out in the coming period

Former Serbian Ambassador to the United States, Ivan Vujacic, tells Kosovo Online that Kosovo's expectations to gain candidate status for European Union membership and its entry into NATO this year are unrealistic.

Kosovo marks its 16th anniversary of independence today, and besides its ambitions for Euro-Atlantic integration, its goal since 2008 has also been the entry into the United Nations, which Vujacic does not see as possible in the coming period.

"The Council of Europe is the first place where Kosovo might eventually be admitted. From what I know, they have sufficient support there, but for the other things, they will have to wait. The UN is a much bigger problem for Kosovo. But I think Kosovo, or Kurti, isn't as concerned about the UN as they are about EU candidacy or NATO membership, where they will face significant challenges because five EU countries do not recognize Kosovo, making the opening of candidacy talks theoretically impossible," Vujacic says.

As he explains, the EU cannot grant candidate status to anyone without the consent of its members, which makes it unattainable in 2024.

"It is so unrealistic and quite empty talk. They are, of course, pushing it on their agenda, but the chances for that are minimal. It's not the time for NATO either, because no one would want to place a country unrecognized by its members into such an organization. Kosovo will probably join some other organizations or a UN agency, but obtaining EU candidate status and entry into the UN is ruled out in the near future," Vujacic believes.