Mijačić: It is not realistic for Kosovo to obtain EU candidate status this year

The Coordinator of the National Convention on the European Union (EU) for Chapter 35, Dragiša Mijačić, assessed, following the statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that it is time for Kosovo to obtain candidate status and begin negotiations with the EU, that it is not realistic for this to happen by the end of this year, but that surprises are always possible.

“The consideration of Kosovo’s application for obtaining candidate status for EU membership does not depend on Kurti’s statements, but primarily on the obligations that the Government of Kosovo has committed to within the agreements reached through the Dialogue on normalization, above all the implementation of the Brussels Agreement from 2013 and the Agreement on the path to normalization and its Ohrid annex from 2023,” Mijačić told today’s edition of the newspaper Danas.

As an additional condition, he added, there are also issues related to the rule of law, primarily through respect for the constitutional rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo, as well as questions regarding amendments to the Law on Specialized Chambers in The Hague, which the Kosovo Assembly recently adopted.

He also said that at the beginning of November it will be seen what will be written in the report on Kosovo’s progress on the path to EU integration, which will be published by the European Commission, emphasizing that, in addition to all this, a positive stance from member states that have not recognized Kosovo as an independent state is also necessary.

“Taking all this into account, it is not realistic that candidate status will be granted at the European Council meeting in the second half of December, but surprises are always possible,” said Mijačić.