The European Parliament is expected to vote tomorrow on the new composition of the European Commission, following the European Union elections, which were held in June of this year. For the Vetevendosje Movement, the opposition parties but also for those familiar with European integration, the expectations are that the new composition of the European Commission will have a more pro-active and supportive approach towards Kosovo.
The new composition of the EC will be presented to MEPs by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen. The head of the EU's foreign and security policy will be the former Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Klass, while the Commissioner for Enlargement will be Marta Kos from Slovenia.
Both senior European officials come from countries that recognize Kosovo's independence. This fact, for the head of the parliamentary group of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, is positive for our country, compared to the current head of the EU's foreign and security policy, Josep Borrell.She tells KosovaPress that based on the public hearings that the two officials have had in European Parliament committees, their positions are fully in line with Kosovo's position.
The head of the LVV MPs is optimistic that the European Commission will now move forward in the direction of removing the measures against Kosovo. According to her, it is necessary for the EU not to have a unilateral approach to dialogue and not to have policies that exempt Serbia from impunity. She also emphasizes the need for Kosovo's application for EU candidate country status to be reviewed within the framework of this composition of the European Commission.Kusari-Lila: We expect the European Commission to have a different approach in relation to Kosovo
"Inevitably, there will be a slightly different policy in relation to the holders of ministries within the European Commission. For the Republic of Kosovo and the Western Balkans, two departments are particularly important. Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. In both cases, the positions declared, in the hearings that have been within the committees in the European Parliament, have been positions in full accordance with the position of Kosovo. In relation to the non-change of borders in the Balkans, where Commissioner Kos has been adamant that there will be no change of borders in the Balkans…. This policy where Serbia is spared from impunity, (by Borrell and Lajcak), or some form of putting Serbia in an equal position with Kosovo, will change or at least will have a tendency to change", said Kusari-Lila.
On the other hand, LDK MP, also the chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, Rrezarta Krasniqi, tells KosovaPress that she expects that very soon after the vote of the new European Commission, the EU enlargement plan for the six Western Balkan countries will be approved. According to her, the new composition of the European Commission should insist on the removal of punitive measures against Kosovo, but she adds that Kosovo institutions should also do their work towards implementing EU requirements. Krasniqi: The new European Commission should adopt the enlargement plan, which will also benefit Kosovo“The establishment of the new European Commission is of particular importance for the European Union but also for Kosovo. The EU enlargement plan is now expected to be implemented, and EU measures are also expected to be lifted. However, it also depends more on our institutions to implement EU requirements, which have been unachievable so far. For the first time, Kosovo has measures from the European Union, but we expect that with the establishment of the new European Commission, new steps will be taken, and Kosovo will have measures lifted, but the main work remains to be done by government”, said Krasniqi.
Optimistic that the new European Commission will have a proactive approach towards Kosovo is also the professor of European integration, Avni Mazrreku.He tells KosovaPress that it is positive news for Kosovo that the head of EU foreign policy is the former Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas.
According to him, this puts Kosovo in a more favorable position, compared to the previous mandate, where Josep Borrell was at the head of this department.
Mazrreku: Kosovo in a more favorable position with the new European Commission, compared to the previous mandate“The role of the individual is extremely important. In the previous mandate, in the current structures of the European Union's foreign policy, we have mainly had personalities who come from the foreign ministries of countries that have been and continue to be quite resistant in terms of recognizing Kosovo's sovereignty. In this case, the positive news is that the official in question for the respective European Union body comes from a country that is among the first states to recognize Kosovo's Independence. This puts Kosovo in a more favorable position, compared to the previous mandate,” said Mazrreku.
The new European Commission will have a five-year mandate. Kosovo institutions have often criticized Josep Borrell, but also the current Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Verhelyi, for an unfair approach towards Kosovo.
