Kosovo will vote on Sunday in parliamentary elections, which are being held regularly for the first time since the declaration of independence, while polls show that the current ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement, has declined compared to the elections held four years ago.

The Vetëvendosje Movement entered the campaign with the aim of exceeding the percentage of voters on February 14, 2021, but two polls cited by the British news agency show a decline in support for Albin Kurti's party.

Two private polls shared with Reuters showed Kurti's Vetëvendosje party and coalition partners with around 40% of the vote - down from the 50.2% it received in 2021.

The EU has imposed sanctions on Kosovo but has not released a list of the programs affected. Two sources, including a senior diplomat, told Reuters that more than a dozen projects worth at least 150 million euros have been hit by EU restrictions. These include a 70 million euro wastewater treatment plant and a renovation of a concert hall. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly.

Some EU states want to lift the measures because they have not changed Kurti's policies and have hurt ordinary citizens, the senior diplomat and another official with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters. But there is opposition from countries including France and Serbia's ally Hungary.

The diplomat said the sanctions unfairly targeted Kosovo and not its northern neighbor Serbia, which has also played a role in stoking tensions. But they added that there was no mechanism to reinstate the restrictions, despite their lack of effectiveness.

An EU spokesman described the measures as "temporary and reversible," but did not say which projects were hit. They said the EU would lift the sanctions if Kosovo de-escalated tensions in the north.

"The actions of the Government of Kosovo... so far have not been conducive to this goal," the spokesman said.

The EU has urged Pristina to create an association of Serb municipalities to allow greater self-government for Serbs. Fearing secession, Kurti has rejected the proposal and instead sought to erode Serb autonomy in the north.

The prime minister defends his policy, saying it has reduced crime, created jobs, promoted peace, and repelled a more powerful aggressor in Serbia.

“We did not do this against Serbs: we did it against Serbia because it is against Kosovo and our nation,” Kurti said in a campaign speech last month.

However, his move to install ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority areas and force ethnic

Kosovo Feels the Pain of EU Sanctions as Election Looms