Foreign policy expert Donika Emini has stated that Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos represents an important opportunity for Kosovo in relation to the European Union, but according to her, the political elite in the country is failing to understand and utilize this momentum.
Emini has assessed Kos as positive for Kosovo, emphasizing that it is less politically charged towards Kosovo and has maintained tough stances towards the regime of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"Marta Kos is the Commissioner for Enlargement that Kosovo should have dreamed of. Before that, she was from Hungary, this one is from Slovenia. She is positive. She is more politically unburdened with Kosovo, she has been very tough on Vučić's regime," Emini declared on KT-V's "Interaktiv".
She has criticized the political class in Kosovo, saying that the country is remaining stuck in internal political crises, thus losing opportunities in relation to the EU.
"I don't understand how these messages are not being read by our political elite, which is in a cycle of crises and is blocking even this small momentum that Kosovo has in relation to the EU," she said.
According to Emini, Kosovo has concrete opportunities to advance through the EU Growth Plan, which, according to her, is not related to the dialogue with Serbia.
"Kosovo is constantly asking for the integration process to be divided, not to be seen only from the dialogue, but it has the Growth Plan and this plan gives Kosovo the opportunity to engage bilaterally with the EU and implement the 111 reforms that Kosovo has defined itself," she said.
Emini added that the Kosovo Reform Agenda has been evaluated by the EU as one of the best in the region, but according to her, the lack of political will has hindered its implementation.
"The political will to implement the Growth Plan was zero, it was not the opposition's fault. I hear what the opposition is saying. But it is not the opposition's fault because you have the majority. It was not voted on because there is a political crisis, not because the opposition did not vote for it," Emini declared.
Kos visited Pristina for the first time since taking office today. He was received by the acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, the acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, and other political representatives. Speaking about Kosovo's European perspective, Kos said that it also depends on progress in the dialogue with Serbia, while Kurti called for a meritorious integration process. Both also spoke about Serbia and its obligations in relation to the suspects in the terrorist attack in Banjska.