The European Union Ambassador, Aivo Orav, said he hopes that Kosovo will soon have a new government in order to work with it to implement the recommendations of this year’s Progress Report.
During a press conference, after handing over the Progress Report to the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, Orav said that due to the political stalemate, Kosovo lost a year.
“Let me be clear, to help you make progress on European integration we need partners. We need a government with which we would cooperate, with a majority in the Assembly, capable of advancing fundamental freedoms for the benefit of the people of Kosovo. In this regard, it has unfortunately been a lost year,” he said.
He recalled that last year, Kosovo was first on the reform agenda, close to receiving the first tranche of funds from the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and had made progress in many areas.
“I want to say that the political elite in Kosovo must unite across political and ethnic divisions and form a strong majority in the Assembly that would ensure the ratification of the Growth Plan and advance your obligations under the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Without this, there will be a loss of other opportunities,” he said.
Speaking about the Report, Orav said that Kosovo has made progress in six areas: the functioning of the judiciary, the capacity to withstand market pressure, developments in employment policies, food policies, and foreign relations.
However, he said that there are areas where reforms are not complete. According to him, more needs to be done in the fight against corruption, so that the country has a competitive market and a functional administration.
Freedom of expression must be improved, said Orav, mentioning that new laws are needed for the Independent Media Commission and for the budget for the public broadcaster, and he also said that it is urgent to adopt an anti-corruption strategy, according to EU standards.
Speaking about the punitive measures imposed by the bloc in 2023, Orav said that they have started to be gradually lifted since May. However, for their removal, he said that the transfer of local government to the north should take place after the conclusion of local elections and the reduction of tensions.
Meanwhile, Kurti said that even though there was a government in office, the Report concluded that “we have successfully completed our tasks.”
“This year’s report is positive in almost all areas and offers clear recommendations where there are setbacks. This year there has been no setback in any area. There has been progress in 36 areas and setbacks in only three areas. Our progress is from limited to advanced,” he said.
The European Commission published on Tuesday the Progress Report on Kosovo for the period 2024-2025, stating that the country has made progress, albeit limited, in some areas, but highlighting the impact of the political impasse on Kosovo’s European path.
The EU compiles these reports for countries aiming to join the European bloc.
“The reporting period was affected by divisive domestic politics and a campaign of clashes ahead of the general elections on 9 February 2025, followed by a post-election political deadlock due to the inability and lack of political will of political parties to find a way to establish institutions. The Government has been in the status of a caretaker government since 23 March 2025 and has limited executive functions to carry out day-to-day operations,” the report states.
The European Union, according to the Progress Report, has taken steps since May of this year to “gradually lift” the punitive measures it imposed on Kosovo in 2023 due to the tense situation in the north of the country, inhabited by a Serb majority.
benefited from the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans “due to political deadlock”.
Since the February 9 elections, Kosovo has still not managed to form a new executive, making it impossible to ratify international agreements in the Assembly. Kosovo has received about 900 million euros – which means that it is the largest beneficiary of these funds per capita.
Regarding the February 9 elections, the report states that they were conducted in a free and democratic manner, while the election campaign was competitive, “often with harsh rhetoric, misuse of public resources and socio-political pressure in areas where the majority of the population is Serb.”
Regarding governance, “challenges in the relationship between municipalities and central institutions continue,” the document said.
“On December 5, 2024, the Government adopted a number of laws, through an accelerated procedure, raising concerns about democratic principles. The opposition, critical of this practice, challenged a number of laws in the Constitutional Court,” the report said.
Speaking about the European integration process, the report said that while Kosovo publicly reaffirms its commitment to the EU agenda, divisive internal politics and lack of prioritization have prevented them from being implemented effectively.
Meanwhile, regarding the Assembly, the report states that the composition of the previous mandate was described as “lacking political consensus, procedural violations, boycotts, frequent calls for extraordinary sessions, and expedited legal procedures.”
“Despite isolated improvements, such as the use of the electronic voting system and the publication of individual votes of deputies, the performance of the Assembly declined,” the Progress Report said.
The document also mentions the failures of MPs to constitute the Assembly after the February 9 elections, emphasizing that these failures “have seriously undermined the functioning of key democratic institutions.”
The Assembly was constituted at the end of August, after a series of failed attempts and several Constitutional Court rulings.
Kosovo has made “limited progress” in fighting corruption, the main findings of the Progress Report said.
“Kosovo has made further progress in adjudicating high-level corruption cases, resulting in a high number of final court decisions and sentences, while the overall number of investigations and sentences for non-high-level corruption has decreased.”
The European Commission [EC] said that Kosovo still lacks a strategic framework for the fight against corruption.
“Despite declarations of political commitment to improving anti-corruption measures, there is no coherent approach to this issue. To have an effective fight against corruption at all levels, Kosovo needs to make better use of existing anti-corruption laws, including the Law on Confiscation. Preventive tools such as asset declaration and integrity plans for public institutions need to be better used to identify and combat the roots of corruption.
The EC recommends that Kosovo further strengthen the capacity of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, in terms of staff and expertise, implement existing legislation and adopt a national strategy and action plan for the fight against corruption 2025-2025 in line with best practices and EU standards.
The country is also recommended to improve the quality of investigations in high-level corruption cases, to increase the capacity of the Police Special Investigation Unit so that it can better cooperate with the Special Prosecution Office.
Meanwhile, speaking about the fight against organized crime, the Report found that Kosovo has made progress in this area.
Kosovo has made limited progress in the functioning of the judicial system, the EC said, noting that there have been improvements regarding the problem of court case delays and emphasizing that some digitalization measures have been taken.
The document states that the country has consulted with the Venice Commission on a package of laws on the judiciary, taking steps towards approximation with European standards.
However, the Report highlights that the two institutions, the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, continue to function without full membership.
“Due to the current political deadlock, delays in drafting justice reforms have negatively impacted efforts to strengthen mechanisms for accountability and efficiency within the judiciary and prosecution. Inappropriate influence from outside and within is present.”
Regarding fundamental human rights, Kosovo needs to make greater efforts to promote, protect and implement them, the Progress Report said.
The document mentions that progress has been made regarding the process of verifying diplomas from the University of North Mitrovica and that the mandate of the verification commission has been extended.
“The implementation of legislation protecting the rights of persons belonging to non-majority groups, including linguistic rights, needs to be strengthened. Several new measures adopted by the government have further weakened access to basic services for these groups. The adoption of the Civil Code and amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion remain unfinished.”
In the section on freedom of expression, the Report mentions that the Constitutional Court has annulled the Law on the Independent Media Commission, “giving clear instructions to the authorities to ensure the rapid drafting of a new law.”
“While the media landscape is pluralistic, it faces challenges regarding transparency in media ownership and financial sustainability. The environment in northern Kosovo remains restrictive, encouraging self-censorship among the public, media, and civil society,” the report states.
This year, according to the Reporters Without Borders index, Kosovo has marked the largest decline in media freedom in the last 15 years, ranking 99th in the world out of 180 countries.
Meanwhile, regarding public administration reforms, the Report calls on Kosovo to fully address the EU recommendations regarding the Law on Public Officials and the Constitutional Court ruling on the Law on Salaries in the Public Sector.
Among the recommendations made to Kosovo in this regard are to increase the capacities of the civil service through merit-based hiring, to conduct performance evaluations and establish measures to achieve gender equality, to reduce the number of vacant and acting positions, and to finalize the systematization and classification of jobs and ensure that the new salary system functions.
The EC recommends increasing the number of electronic services, which would reduce the administrative burden.
The reporting period of this document is from September 1, 2024 to September 1, 2025. The report is compiled from data obtained from many sources, including the Government of Kosovo, EU member states, European Parliament reports, and information from various international and local non-governmental organizations./REL