Marta Kos: Kosovo faces key choices on international law and the rule of law

Respecting international law and the rule of law will require decisive choices from Kosovo in the weeks and months ahead, according to European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

On the eve of the Berlin Process Summit in Montenegro, she said the Western Balkans was entering a defining stage for its European future. Kos urged the countries of the region to seize opportunities to move closer to EU membership, noting that each faces specific challenges.

For Montenegro, the commissioner singled out completing accession negotiations as a priority. In Serbia’s case, she mentioned next Sunday’s elections, while for Albania she stressed the need to maintain its current pace on the path to European integration.

Kos said she was pleased to be back in Montenegro, describing it as a country determined to join the EU. She emphasized that the period ahead holds key moments for the region and spoke positively of that day’s gathering in Montenegro of regional leaders and representatives of the entire enlargement process. For Kosovo, she said, the decisive choice is to proceed in accordance with international law and the rule of law.

Strengthening cooperation among Western Balkan countries and supporting their steps toward the European Union are the goals of the Berlin Process Summit.

Kosovo, meanwhile, remains at the early stages of European integration. It submitted its EU membership application in December 2022, but has not yet been granted candidate status or opened formal accession negotiations.

Alongside reforming institutions and consolidating the rule of law, Kosovo’s European path is also linked to normalizing relations with Serbia through the dialogue mediated by the European Union.