Kosovo submits EU membership bid

PRAGUE - Kosovo’s prime minister submitted his country’s application for European Union membership on Thursday, formally launching a drawn-out process complicated by

Pristina’s fractious relations with Belgrade.

Mr Albin Kurti handed the application to Czech minister for EU affairs Mikulas Bek, whose country currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the 27-member bloc.

“This is a historic day for the people of Kosovo and a great day for democracy in Europe,” Mr Kurti told reporters in Prague.

“The letter I carry contains the hopes and dreams of our citizens who have worked so hard to reach this day.”

On Wednesday, Mr Kurti, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and parliamentary speaker Glauk Konjufca jointly signed the documents.

Kosovo is the last country in the Western Balkans to apply for EU membership, after Brussels recognised Bosnia’s candidate status on Tuesday.

However, five members of the bloc – Greece, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus – do not recognise Kosovo as an independent country.

Pristina declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade – along with its key allies Russia and China – still considers it a part of Serbia.

“I believe that with our dedication and willingness we are going to change the minds of eventual sceptics as well,” Mr Kurti said, adding that Kosovo wanted to join the EU as soon as possible.

Normalising ties with Belgrade will be imperative for Kosovo’s bid. Despite the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, the two neighbours have been at loggerheads for decades.

Belgrade encourages the Serb majority in northern Kosovo to defy Pristina’s authority and the region saw an escalation of violence recently – including shootings and explosions.

The EU recently reaffirmed its commitment to the Western Balkans enlargement process at a summit in Tirana, while Russia’s war in Ukraine underlines the importance for Europeans to stabilise the volatile region.

However, the actual accession of these countries to the EU remains a distant prospect.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Kosovo has resolutely sided with the West, while Serbia is playing a delicate balancing act between East and West, condemning the Russian invasion at the UN but refusing to align itself with Western sanctions against Moscow.

Kosovo has already applied for membership in the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organisation. AFP