Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The European Parliament is closely following the political and socio-economic developments in Kosovo, and presents its report following the European Commission’s progress report on Kosovo. Following the last report adopted in 2023, the European Parliament will return to its tradition of annual reports, which was not possible in 2024 due to the European Parliament elections and the new Commission’s formation.

Change 23

ChangedIn summary, during 2023 and 2024, Kosovo has made notable strides in electoral reforms, economic resilience, and the protection of fundamental rights. However, challenges remain in judicial reform, media freedom, public administration efficiency, and the digitalizationdigitalisation of public services. Continued commitment to comprehensive reforms and inclusive governance is essential for Kosovo’s advancement on its European integration path.

Several of Kosovo’s challenges are legacy problems, the resolution of which requires the involvement of the entire region in the broader European Union integration process. The Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, which was launched to find a compromise acceptable to the parties, has unfortunately not yielded the expected results. The new European Commission, as well as the European Parliament and the Member States, must certainly do everything in their power to ensure that the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue continues with renewed vigor. The appointment of the new Special Representative, Peter Sörensen, is therefore very welcome.

The enlargement of the European Union has been one of the EU’s most important success stories and it must continue. The broader geopolitical goal of enlargement is to eliminate the so-called grey areas from the map of Europe. The significant changes that have taken place in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine must increase the European Union’s readiness to confront competing authoritarian global players. Both Russia and China have shown that they have very clear interests in the Western Balkans.

With this report, the rapporteur wishes to provide an overview and the European Parliament’s assessment of the most important achievements and challenges that Kosovo faces today and in the near future. It is certainly not possible to cover all the problematic areas and challenges in this report. One of the important prerequisites for the preparation of this report was the opportunity to visit Kosovo during a fact-finding mission and meet with government officials, opposition leaders and civil society representatives. The preparation of this report has involved very useful exchanges with representatives of various European Union institutions and international organisations, for which the rapporteur is very grateful.