Gert Jan Koopman, the European Commission’s Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, discussed Kosovo’s prospects of obtaining EU candidate status.
The senior EU enlargement official said he “personally believes” that the EU should begin reviewing Kosovo’s membership application, which was submitted in December 2022.
“Personally, I believe it is very important that we start examining its application. As you know, I think the five countries that do not recognize Kosovo are hesitant. But it is not just about those five countries. There have also been problems in the north of the country, and now the issue of the Specialist Chambers has resurfaced,” he said.
Koopman described the law concerning the Specialist Chambers as “extremely unhelpful,” saying Kosovo should “fully demonstrate its commitment to the European path.”
“I understand that a law was adopted today. That is extremely unhelpful. I would look at it the other way around. Given the delicate institutional situation, with five countries that do not recognize Kosovo, the country really needs to show its full commitment to the European path in all these other areas,” he added.
He went on to say that the law concerning the Specialist Chambers “should not be adopted” and that “the situation in the north of the country should be properly managed.”
“That means not adopting the law on the Specialist Chambers and making sure the situation in the north of the country is properly managed. I think that, if that happens, it is entirely feasible for the Council of the European Union to invite the European Commission to start working on the application and issue an opinion, which is the next step. It is then up to the Council to decide whether to grant Kosovo candidate status,” he continued.
Koopman said it should not be “too difficult” for Kosovo to obtain candidate status if it meets those conditions, adding that “we’re not there yet.”
“Kosovo is a partner in the enlargement process, and its funding comes from what is called the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). So I don’t think it should be too difficult for the member states to grant Kosovo candidate status, provided it meets all these requirements. But we’re not there yet,” Koopman told the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center.
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