Parliamentary elections are being held in Kosovo on December 28, Photo: Reuters
The European Union is ready to lift sanctions it imposed on Kosovo in 2023 due to tensions in the north of the country and to unblock financial assistance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
EU countries have imposed punitive measures against Kosovo after the government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to respond to calls from the EU and the United States to calm unrest in the Serb-majority north, following the worst violence in that part of the country in more than a decade.
The measures included a halt to visits by Kosovo officials to the European Union and the suspension of much of the bloc’s economic aid.
“Good news for Kosovo,” von der Leyen said in a post on the X network late Wednesday. “We are planning 216 million euros in financial assistance and intend to disburse 205 million euros early next year.”
Von der Leyen said the EU decided to lift the measures following the peaceful transfer of local power in the north following recent local elections.
Kurti welcomed the EU’s decision, saying that the measures were unfair from the beginning because they sanctioned Kosovo for the divisions that, according to him, were orchestrated by Serbia, Anadolu Agency reported.
Violence erupted in northern Kosovo in 2023, after Albanian mayors took office following local elections boycotted by Serbs, demanding the implementation of an agreement that envisioned the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities.
Around 30 members of the NATO peacekeeping force who were securing municipal buildings were injured in clashes with Serbian demonstrators, while 52 members of the Serbian community were also injured.
Kosovo is due to hold parliamentary elections on December 28th, following the failure to form a government following elections held in February.
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