The European Commission’s 2026 report on Kosovo is expected to be officially published on November 4, with preliminary assessments indicating that the prolonged political and institutional crisis will influence its conclusions. The publicly released draft and the views of European integration experts suggest that no significant progress is expected to be recorded in most areas examined by the European Union.
Through its annual report, the European Commission reviews the implementation of reforms in democracy, the rule of law, institutional functioning, fundamental rights, the economy and public administration, as well as alignment with EU foreign policy. Alongside developments recorded during the year, the document also assesses each country’s level of preparedness for membership.
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According to experts familiar with the process, the assessments of the rule of law and the fight against corruption are expected to reflect a lack of substantial progress. Implementing reforms and strengthening institutional accountability mechanisms remain challenges. The preliminary review also indicates that, for the first time, the report is expected to assess the alignment of Kosovo’s foreign policy with that of the European Union.
Arbëresha Loxha, a researcher at the Group for Legal and Political Studies, told KosovaPress that the political and institutional situation in recent years offers little reason to expect substantial changes in this year’s assessment of Kosovo compared with last year’s report.
Explaining the obstacles to reforms and the implementation of the European Commission’s previous recommendations, Loxha said that even without advance access to the document, no major progress would have been expected in the areas the EU examines in Kosovo.
She links the expected lack of progress in the functioning of democratic institutions to the prolonged political crisis and extreme polarization among political forces. According to Loxha, these circumstances have prevented institutions from undertaking reforms and continuing processes initiated or recommended in previous reports. The non-functioning Assembly and the caretaker government, she added, have held back many reforms.
On the rule of law and the fight against corruption, Loxha does not expect the report to identify sufficient progress. Some minor progress, she said, could be recorded in the free movement of capital, but not in the movement of goods and workers.
The researcher explained that an assessment of Kosovo’s foreign policy alignment with the EU is expected to be included in the report for the first time, although Kosovo has pursued this alignment previously without being obliged to do so. According to her, the document will also examine progress in the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue and the actions Kosovo has taken regarding the north and the Ibar Bridge.
For political analyst Blerim Canaj, too, a report showing no notable progress would come as no surprise, given the state of the institutions over more than the past two years. Referring to the published draft, he links the stalled reforms and lack of advancement in various areas to institutional dysfunction, a lack of accountability and uncertainty over the division of powers.
In Canaj’s assessment, the state has been de facto dysfunctional for more than two years, and the issues that have dominated during this period have left no room to speak of progress. He also cited individuals’ lack of authority and the breakdown of the chain of accountability as reasons why no other outcome could have been expected.
According to the analyst, the priority during that period appears to have been capturing institutions rather than advancing the state in various areas. He emphasized that the report mentions obstacles caused by the absence of institutions, while the issues it identifies concerning media freedom, freedom of expression and many other areas also caught his attention. Under these political and institutional conditions, Canaj considers expectations of a significantly more positive assessment unrealistic.
Former diplomat Albert Prenkaj, for his part, believes the draft highlights Kosovo’s stalled progress toward European integration and the lack of tangible results in several areas. He stressed that the consequences have also been financial, with the loss of €43.8 million from the European Union’s Growth Plan.
In a written response to KosovaPress, Prenkaj attributed the lack of visible progress in the European Commission’s 2026 draft report primarily to the prolonged political crisis and the paralysis of parliament. According to him, assessments of limited progress or no progress dominate the document. Kosovo, which still does not officially have candidate country status, is thus among the countries that have failed to achieve tangible progress.
Prenkaj argued that holding three elections within a year led to shortcomings in institutions led by legal and legitimate governments, the absence of the Assembly and an inability to communicate transparently and in an official state capacity with international actors. He underlined problems with the regular functioning of institutions and difficulties in relations with international partners.
Regarding the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue, the former diplomat emphasized that the report calls for the implementation of obligations arising from the 2023 agreement and its Ohrid implementation annex.
The 2026 report is being published at a time when European Union enlargement is gaining fresh momentum. Meanwhile, the Western Balkan states continue to move at different speeds on the path toward EU membership.
