The head of the European Union (EU) office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav, said on Wednesday that he hopes that Kosovo will form a new government as soon as possible, with which the European bloc can work on the country's path towards European integration.
Speaking at a conference in Pristina, titled "Kosovo towards the European Union: The Road to a Solution," Orav said that Kosovo can do things that lead the country towards the European Union.
Kosovo applied for membership in the European Union on December 15, 2022, but its application has not yet been reviewed, and as a result it is the only country in the Balkans that does not yet have candidate country status.
"Now, what we expect most from Kosovo is, first of all, to have a partner. Yes, we have a partner, the president – but we also need executive power," Orav emphasized at the conference organized by the FOL Movement and the Pristina Institute for Political Studies.
He added that the EU "needs a partner with whom we can talk about the next steps, how to move closer to the European Union. We very much hope that the government will be formed as soon as possible."
Kosovo is failing to form new institutions, despite more than three months having passed since the February 9 parliamentary elections.
The political impasse comes after no leader won a majority to govern alone and from the lack of will from political parties to create a governing coalition.
Meanwhile, Orav also spoke about other issues, such as punitive measures against Kosovo and the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
Speaking about the measures, which the EU said last week it has begun to gradually lift, Orav said that Kosovo should cooperate closely with the bloc to lift them in full.
Regarding the Association, Orav stressed that the EU has always made it clear that it should be established.
"A topic that everyone is talking about, but which is not so popular with politicians here in Kosovo, is the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. It needs to be done and it is better to do it sooner rather than later, to move forward. My message is that we in the EU are ready to move forward and we very much hope that Kosovo will do the same," he said.
In October 2023, the then envoys of the EU, the US, France, Germany and Italy offered Kosovo and Serbia a draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, but Kosovo has not agreed to establish it.
The acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has refused to send this draft statute for review to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo - an action that would mark the first step towards its creation.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on March 21 that the draft statute of the Association drafted by the EU is not in line with the Constitution of Kosovo and that she had also told Sorensen this during his visit to Pristina on March 17./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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