As Kosovo’s state institutions seek to consolidate after two elections in 2025, hopes are high that the next phase of politics will see the country move from political deadlock to functioning institutions.
However, amid raised expectations of progress in Euro-Atlantic integration and on regional issues, such as the normalisation of relations with Serbia, Kosovo’s political elite faces a daunting task.
The next few years will be critical for Kosovo’s efforts to strengthen its statehood. If Euro-Atlantic integration and normalisation with Serbia are not locked in, and if far-right forces gain more power in core EU states, such as France and Germany, Kosovo could face a much more hostile international ecosystem.
Kosovo’s reliance on the Euro-Atlantic alliance stems from the years it suffered under brutal occupation by the Serbian regime from the 1980s to the 1990s. During the Kosovo War, it was only NATO’s military intervention in March 1999 that halted the ethnic cleansing and mass displacement of Kosovar Albanians.