“If a country is not fully engaged, it is difficult to move forward,” thus stated the General Director for Enlargement at the European Commission, Gert Jan Koopman, referring to the political situation in Kosovo.
In a conference dedicated to the expansion of the European Union, he emphasized that the lack of a functional government in Kosovo since February is being seen in Brussels as a serious obstacle to the country’s progress towards European integration and the removal of punitive measures.
According to RTK, Koopman mentioned the examples of Albania and Montenegro, which according to him are fully focused on integration processes, calling on the Kosovar authorities to follow the same direction.
“My advice for the country is to focus on this direction, because if it is not fully committed, it is difficult to move forward. We, in the Commission, are in the process of removing the measures after a very difficult discussion in the EU Council last year. We would be ready, of course, to prepare an opinion on Kosovo’s application for membership, but for this the Council should invite us and I think there should be a reflection in Kosovo as well why the Council is not doing it this,” said Gert Jan Koopman, Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission.he said.
The European Union has assessed the smooth conduct of local elections as a positive signal for the gradual lifting of measures, but has stressed that the transfer of local power must take place before the process can continue.
