EU Expects Swift Formation of Assembly, Gov’t After Election in Kosovo

Local Elections in Kosovo (BetaPhoto/Sasa Djordjevic)

European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement on Dec. 29 that one day earlier "the people of Kosovo exercised their democratic right by casting their vote in the early parliamentary elections," adding that they "look forward to the swift formation of the new Assembly and Government and to continuing our engagement with the authorities."

"The EU takes good note of the active participation of all communities and their political parties in the elections.  The electoral process demonstrated a strong commitment to democratic principles," Kallas and Kos said in the statement, urging the future Kosovo Assembly to ratify agreements related to the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

EU-mediated normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina remains the only way for both sides to advance in their bids to join the EU, the statement stressed.

"We expect all obligations stemming from the Agreement on the Path to Normalization, as well as all past Dialogue agreements to be implemented without further delays or preconditions. The EU stands ready to host a high-level meeting once conditions allow," the statement read.

Recalling that the EU "is moving forward to lift the measures" against Kosovo, the statement noted that EUR216 million of "financial assistance was already released following the orderly transfer of local governance after the recent local elections," and that another EUR205 million would be exempted from the measures against Kosovo early next year.

Riho Terras, the rapporteur for Kosovo before the European Parliament, said in a Dec. 29 post on the X social media platform that "Kosovo's election result should finally end the political deadlock that has cost the country millions of euros in EU funding" and that Premier Albin Kurti "now has a clear mandate and a responsibility to govern more pragmatically."