Last week, the European Parliament adopted the Report on Kosovo. I am the responsible Member for this report in the European Parliament and I worked together with other Members from other groups to make sure we can adopt a text, which is acceptable for the majority of the European Parliament. The final report was adopted by 471 in favour, 109 votes against and with 104 abstention. Here you can find further information.
Kosovo is still committed to follow its European path, and the institutions of the European Union still support the country on its journey. Unfortunately, from the side of the European Union, we were unable to deliver on our promise on providing visa-free travel to the citizens of Kosovo, which was supposed to be adopted in 2018 already, but some Member states are still blocking it, even though the Commission and the Parliament have reiterated their support a number of times in the past two years. This time, three quarters of the MEPs voted again to call the Council to adopt its decision on visa liberalisation.
In 2020, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has gained new momentum with the appointment of an EU Special Representative specifically for this dialogue It will not be an easy task, which is why both side need to stay engaged in the dialogue, because by abandoning it, they would lose a lot. An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo is a precondition for both countries to join the EU. This report is aiming to present the European Parliament’s opinion about the past years and recent developments, as well as to show a possible direction for the future. The report is only able to scratch the surface of the complex social and political aspects of Kosovo and EU-Kosovo relations. However, I am convinced it can function as an important tool to present the European Parliament’s strong commitment to Kosovo’s future in the EU.
You can watch my plenary speech here
