Celebration in Kosovo by supporters of Albin Kurti, Photo: REUTERS
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kalas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement today that “the people of Kosovo have exercised their democratic right by voting in the early parliamentary elections” on Sunday and “called for the swift constitution of a new Parliament and Government and the expected continuation of cooperation with the EU.”
“The European Union takes 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. The European Union has deployed an Expert Election Mission that will remain in Kosovo to monitor the post-election procedures,” the statement said.
Kalas and Kos call on the future Assembly of Kosovo to ratify agreements related to the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
“The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is a time-limited instrument adopted for the period from 2024 to 2027, and it is in Kosovo’s interest to ratify it as soon as possible in order to fully exploit all the opportunities within the Growth Plan, for the benefit of its population,” the statement reads.
Kalas and Kos underline that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, with the mediation of the European Union, remains the only way for both sides to make progress on their European path.
“We expect that all obligations arising from the Agreement on the Roadmap to Normalization and all previous agreements reached within the framework of the dialogue will be implemented without further delays or preconditions. The European Union stands ready to host a high-level meeting as soon as the conditions are right,” the statement continued.
They remind that the European Union continues the process of lifting measures towards Kosovo: “Financial assistance in the amount of 216 million euros has already been exempted from the measures following the smooth transfer of local authority following the recent local elections.”
“We also intend to exempt an additional 205 million euros from the measures at the beginning of next year” for Kosovo, Kaja Kalas and Marta Kos wrote in a statement.
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