Kurti says Kosovo's EU homework is done, but candidate status isn't

In an interview with France 24, Kurti said Kosovo has ticked the boxes on democratic indexes, rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, transparency, press freedom and electoral democracy. He rejected shortcuts, a back door or a fast track, insisting the process should reward merit. The obstacle, he said, is that the European Council has not asked the European Commission for an opinion on Kosovo, so the questionnaire that would kick off the accession process has not even been sent. Kurti hopes candidate status lands in the next weeks or months.

Kurti traced the holdup to internal EU Council dynamics and the five members that do not recognise Kosovo: Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Greece and Slovakia. He said Pristina has increased collaboration and communication with them and asked them to join the 22 EU members that do recognise Kosovo. He flagged incremental progress: Spain now recognises Kosovo's passport, and the status of Kosovo's office in Athens has been elevated. According to Kurti, the EU's formula of "diversity in recognition, but unity in engagement" has not stopped Kosovo from securing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and visa liberalisation, and the five non-recognisers are not blocking the questionnaire.

The European Commission still has serious reservations about judicial independence in Kosovo, and Kurti accepted the critique of the judiciary and prosecution. He said reforms have started, including a bureau about to be established to verify and confiscate wealth that cannot be explained. His benchmark: no one on an average salary should own a big mansion, or several. Kurti also argued that opening and closing EU accession chapters and clusters would help Kosovo reform its judiciary and public administration.

On Serbia, Kurti said it is too soon after the election in which former president Aleksandar Vucic lost his parliamentary majority to say whether a new chapter in Pristina-Belgrade relations can open. He said Kosovo wants full normalisation centred on mutual recognition. Kurti described Kosovo as an independent country and democratic republic, adding that Belgrade acknowledging it sooner would help both their relations and Serbia's EU path. He also dismissed any return to the 20th century, saying there is no time machine.