In the eyes of the EU, Kosovo lost another year

Komisioni Evropian në këtë raport, draftin e të cilit ka pasur rast ta shohë KOHA, do të nënvizojë mes tjerash se paraliza e tejzgjatur institucionale ka pamundësuar progres më të madh të Kosovës në fushën e reformave, përfshirë edhe të atyre të identifikuara nga Komisioni Evropian në raportin e vitit paraprak. Kjo është edhe arsyeja kryesore pse nuk ka pasur më shumë progres në fushat kyç

The annual progress report for Kosovo, which, along with other reports for the enlargement countries, will be adopted tomorrow in Brussels, will not surprise anyone with its content. In this report, the draft of which KOHA has had the opportunity to see, the European Commission will underline, among other things, that the prolonged institutional paralysis has prevented Kosovo from making greater progress in the field of reforms, including those identified by the European Commission in the previous year's report. This was also the main reason why there has not been more progress in key areas such as the reforms required by the European Union.  

In addition to political and institutional issues, the European Commission in this report noted a lack of proper progress in the area of ​​the rule of law, only limited progress in the fight against corruption, some progress in the fight against organized crime. Progress was also not proper in the freedom of the media, where attacks on journalists and media outlets continued, including by government representatives.   

Also worrying in the report is the situation in the energy field, where there has been only limited progress and this, according to the European Commission, continues to be a major obstacle to Kosovo's economic growth.   

The report on both Kosovo and Serbia also calls for the implementation of the obligations from the dialogue for the normalization of relations with them. Kosovo will be asked again to start the process of establishing the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, which the Commission considers an obligation of Kosovo, while Serbia is expected to be criticized for violating agreements, including lobbying against Kosovo's membership in international organizations, especially the Council of Europe and Interpol. The EU will reiterate its regret for the lack of measures by Serbia against the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Banjska.   

The Commission is also expected to publish roadmaps for the four most advanced candidate countries: Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, tomorrow, with specific deadlines on what they need to do to achieve their goal of concluding accession negotiations. As an indicative deadline, the Commission will mention the conclusion of negotiations with Montenegro by the end of this year, and the signing of the accession treaty in June next year. Meanwhile, for Albania, the Commission will present a plan on how it can achieve the goal of concluding accession negotiations by the end of 2027, if Albania meets the necessary criteria.