Kosovo's membership process in the Council of Europe was discussed last night at a dinner between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and European envoy Peter Sorensen. The process has stalled at the final act: the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, which is seen as the final criterion for membership.
Express newspaper
Kosovo has long been asked to take the first concrete and practical step towards forming the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in April 2024 supported a report recommending Kosovo's membership in the 47-member Strasbourg-based organization, which is also an official observer at the United Nations. But the following month, the country was left off the agenda of a meeting of foreign ministers, who must finally decide on membership or not.
The reason was related to the activity of the QUINT countries: the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy, which sought to see a move from Kosovo towards the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti had a working dinner last night with the European Union's special representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen.
According to a statement from Kurti's Office, the process of membership in the Council of Europe was also discussed.
"During the dinner, the process of integration into the European Union was discussed, including the full alignment of foreign policy with the 27-member bloc as a strategic determination, as well as Kosovo's commitment and dedication to fulfilling reforms. In the context of European integration, the process of membership in the Council of Europe was also discussed," the announcement states.
Sorensen, on the other hand, has not yet commented on this meeting.
Kurti had said in 2024 that his government would not accept the establishment of the Association as a condition for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
"The government does not accept the conditioning of membership in the Council of Europe with the Association. For the normalization of relations with Serbia, we talk in Brussels, not in Strasbourg," he declared.
A draft statute for the association drafted by the EU has not yet been sent to the Constitutional Court for review, as requested by Brussels. The document provides for the regulation of the position of the Serb community, the protection of their rights and funding from Serbia.
The year 2025 also passed without moving forward towards membership in the CoE. For the second time in a row, the issue of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe was not included in the agenda of the meeting of the Committee of Ministers.
President Vjosa Osmani, whose mandate ended this month, had been warning for years that a new government would be elected before the CoE Committee of Ministers convened.
But the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla, said that year that the failure to constitute the Assembly made it "easier" for member states not to include this issue on the agenda of items for consideration.
After the issue was ultimately not placed on the agenda for consideration, Deputy Minister Kreshnik Ahmeti said that Kosovo is being unfairly asked to meet "unofficial criteria" to join the Council of Europe.
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