Palatova: Kosovo must convince the 27 member states about EU candidate status

The acting head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Eva Palatova, has stated that Kosovo cannot automatically receive candidate status for membership in the European Union, emphasizing that the country must convince all 27 EU member states, reports Ekonomia Online.

In the context of marking Europe Day, on May 9, at an event organized by the EU Office in Kosovo, she said that Brussels expects free and fair elections from Kosovo, rapid formation of institutions and advancement of reforms.

"I know, Mr. Prime Minister, that you want the EU to move forward with the membership application, which you submitted during the Czech presidency in Prague. We are here to help you achieve this next goal. But let me be honest, Brussels cannot simply grant candidate status. You have to convince the 27 member states," she said.

Palatova stressed that Kosovo must continue to demonstrate democratic standards and institutional stability.

"And for this, these three key elements are important. Kosovo is and must remain a vibrant democracy. The parliamentary elections that are being held exactly one month from today must, once again, be free, fair and inclusive," she said.

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She added that the European Union expects the rapid establishment of institutions after the elections and the continuation of reforms.

"Secondly, we hope to see a rapid formation of institutions. A government based on a strong majority in the assembly, capable of generating strong inter-party compromises, electing a president and advancing the reform agenda. And of course, the multi-ethnic character of Kosovo is of great value to all our member states," she said.

According to her, EU member states are monitoring how Kosovo treats non-majority communities and the implementation of dialogue agreements.

"All our capitals observe its preservation, constructive engagement with all majority communities, so that all Kosovars, regardless of ethnicity, feel that they have a home and a perspective here. In this regard, we rely on the further implementation of the March 14 agreement. And I know, Mr. Prime Minister, that you reconfirmed this to the High Representative this week in Yerevan," she said.

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Palatova added that the EU expects good faith implementation of the agreements and progress in the dialogue facilitated by Brussels.

"We count on the good faith implementation, we count on the momentum that this agreement creates to give further impetus to concrete solutions and progress in the new facilitated dialogue. We count on this basis, through the cooperation of the Kosovo leadership in all political parties, the candidate status to become tangible and the promise from the Thessaloniki Summit of 2003 to become an achievable perspective. Now, I also want to be clear that the European Union of 2003 is not the European Union of 2026," she said.