Kosovo’s European prospects and the future of EU enlargement discussed in Pristina

The role of enlargement on the European Union’s agenda, differing approaches among member states and the obstacles Kosovo must overcome on its path to membership were discussed in Pristina on Wednesday.

The discussion, titled “European capitals’ positions on enlargement: prospects, priorities and Kosovo’s path to the EU,” brought together experts from Europe, diplomats, institutional officials and civil society representatives.

The meeting examined how member states’ positions affect the enlargement process and Kosovo’s European prospects.

The event was organized by the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation (KCSF), the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe, the Balkan Research Institute and the French Institute of International Relations.

Opening the event, KCSF Executive Director Dren Puka said the war in Ukraine had created a new moment for EU enlargement and affected how the process is understood.

He stressed that, alongside reforms and compliance with the criteria, security issues, geopolitical alignment and the political will of member states are becoming more important in decisions on enlargement.

According to Puka, Kosovo is a clear example of this tension, as the principle of merit coexists with political factors linked to recognition of Kosovo and the need for consensus within the European Union.

France’s ambassador to Kosovo, Jean-François Huchet, said enlargement had returned to the center of European strategic planning. However, he noted that member states do not fully agree on the timing, conditions or method of the process.

Huchet said France views enlargement as a process that must be credible and merit-based. At the same time, he said, the EU must make institutional, political and financial preparations to admit new members.

He cited Kosovo’s application for EU membership and visa liberalization as positive steps, but called for continued reforms, a stronger rule of law and sustained engagement in dialogue.

Austria’s ambassador to Kosovo, Georg Schnetzer, described enlargement as a strategic issue for Europe’s security and autonomy. In his view, the way the process currently works does not fully reflect the urgency created by geopolitical developments.

Schnetzer called for concrete steps to accelerate enlargement, including consideration of Kosovo’s application for candidate status by the European Commission.

He said Austria supports simpler procedures and the use of qualified majority voting, as well as preventing bilateral issues from becoming obstacles to the process. At the same time, the Austrian ambassador stressed that standards and fundamental reforms must remain intact.

According to Schnetzer, gradual integration would allow candidate countries to gain tangible benefits from closer ties with the EU even before full membership. The ultimate goal, however, remains the inclusion of the Western Balkans in the European Union, he said.

Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the EU, Jeton Zulfaj, pointed to the mismatch between the country’s progress on reforms and its practical integration with the Union, on the one hand, and the stalled formal membership process, on the other.

Zulfaj said Kosovo’s membership application remains blocked despite progress in several areas. He added that the Council of the EU has yet to ask the European Commission to prepare an opinion on Kosovo’s application.

He said the most important next step should be securing candidate status and opening membership negotiations.

Zulfaj argued that the dialogue with Serbia could be included in a dedicated chapter of the negotiations, using an approach similar to the handling of normalization through Chapter 35.

He noted that, given today’s geopolitical reality, any assessment of Kosovo’s progress should take into account its full alignment with EU foreign and security policy, as well as its adherence to the Union’s fundamental values.

The panel was moderated by Florent Marciacq, deputy secretary-general of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe and a research fellow at the Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri), in Vienna and Paris.

Participants stressed that member states’ positions on enlargement are shaped by their perceptions of the process’s geopolitical importance, as well as domestic interests, security concerns, capacity to absorb new members and differing visions for the EU’s future.

They said the war in Ukraine had increased political support for enlargement but had not produced full agreement among member states on how far future enlargement should go or how it should proceed.

Panelists emphasized that the new geopolitical dynamic does not, by itself, guarantee progress for Kosovo toward the European Union.

According to the discussion, Kosovo’s European future depends on implementing reforms and meeting the criteria, but also on the degree of political unity among member states and the importance they assign to Kosovo in enlargement policy.

Another conclusion of the panel was that Kosovo’s European prospects should not be viewed solely through its relations and dialogue with Serbia.

In that context, participants also examined the use of gradual integration tools and new ways to include Kosovo in different areas of European policy, particularly in sectors where its status creates fewer obstacles.

Panelists included Donika Emini, executive director of the Balkan Research Institute in Pristina, a researcher at the University of Graz and a BiEPAG member; Ruth Ferrero-Turrión, a professor at the Complutense Institute for International Studies in Madrid; Kai-Olaf Lang, a senior researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin; Clotilde Warin, an associate research fellow at the Institut Jacques Delors and director of the Europe Program at Eastern Circles in Paris; and Doris Wydra, a senior researcher and executive director of the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies in Salzburg.

The event was supported by Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, the Austrian Embassy in Pristina and Sweden.