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Dutch Member of the European Parliament (EP), Thijs Reuten, has stressed the necessity of accelerating the European Union integration process of all Western Balkan countries. Kosovo is currently the only country in the region that does not have candidate country status, although it submitted its application for this in November 2022.
In an interview with KOĞA, on the sidelines of the Security Conference held in Belgrade, MEP Reuten said that this process has stalled in the EU without reason, while stressing the need for concrete actions by all parties involved.
"As your viewers probably know, I am a strong supporter of Kosovo's path towards the European Union and I think, and I have said this many times, that we should now focus on finishing the job. One of the important steps is for Kosovo's application for membership to finally be considered. I cannot understand why this has been on hold for so long ," Reuten said, reports 'Koha'.
The Dutch MEP said that the fact that five EU member states have not yet recognized Kosovo's independence should not be used as a reason for not considering the application.
" There is absolutely no reason for this. We can continue with the process, despite the fact that there are still some EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo. This is a fact, but we can still continue with the processing of the membership application," he said.
Regarding the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which is facilitated by the European Union, he spoke about the importance of creating new momentum to advance agreements and that this should begin with the lifting of measures for Kosovo.
"I think that now that the local elections have taken place, the measures against Kosovo should first be lifted. For me, they should never have been imposed and should have been lifted a long time ago, but now that we will soon have new mayors taking office in the respective municipalities, I think this is the moment for the Commission and the member states to lift the sanctions. As for the dialogue, I think there is a clear need for a new impulse", stressed Reuten. "We cannot continue as before, as we have seen in the past years, so I hope that Commissioner Kos will also take a step forward and with the new dialogue facilitator we hope that the process can change and also become less linked to the progress towards membership, because I think that this gives a lot of room to hinder the progress towards membership, both from Serbia, to be honest, but especially for Kosovo to move forward on the path towards EU candidate status and then membership ", he added.
According to Reuten, the European Union must be strict and also fair in its approach towards the two countries, adding that this has not happened so far.
" There has been an uneven approach. However, what we need from everyone, including Kosovo, is to turn the page and seriously commit to taking a step forward. But for this to happen, the European Union must also be clear about what we want from this process and not link it as closely as before to progress towards membership. Yes, of course, we all know that at some point, when there is progress on the path to membership for Serbia or Kosovo, there will come a point when we have to come together again. But for now, we have enough work to do and enough progress to make without being constantly hampered by other concerns and problems within normalization. I think it is time to turn the page, together with a stricter and more professional approach from the Commission and the member states, and I also expect both governments to turn the page and commit in a meaningful way. Over the years, I have been quite clear about where I think the shortcomings have been ," Reuten said.
Another issue on which MEP Reuten stressed the need for a clear and equal EU approach is the treatment of the rights of ethnic communities in the region. He called for the rights of Albanians in Serbia to be respected, just as Serbia seeks to respect the rights of Serbian citizens in northern Kosovo.
" It is good to see the participation of Serbian citizens from Kosovo in northern Kosovo. But let's try to preserve the same rights for Albanians in Serbia, just as we rightly demand that the Kosovo government respect them when it comes to citizens in northern Kosovo. So, I think that when you want to address the rights of different citizens with different backgrounds, then it is also right to demand the same from countries that rightly demand respect for rights ," said Reuten, adding that he is also aware of the passivation of Albanian addresses in the Presevo Valley.
Reuteni stressed that regional stability is linked to the progress of European integration. He called on the citizens and leaders of Serbia and Kosovo not to allow the influence of external actors who attempt to create division and instability.
"This region has seen enough violence and tension in the past. We must work together for a better future and not allow external factors to divide us ," Reuten said, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation for the European perspective of both countries.
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