Former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, has promoted his book “The Economic Convergence of Kosovo with the EU.” The book, which was presented at the premises of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences, was described as having a scientific and professional approach.

Before a large audience, including LDK MPs and former high-ranking officials of the party, Mustafa said that Kosovo’s convergence with the European Union’s level of development will take decades.

According to him, Kosovo has developed an economic model based on consumption rather than production, which is why import levels are high and the country has a negative trade balance.

“Our economy, compared to the EU economy—not in terms of GDP, but in terms of citizens’ standard of living—remains significantly behind. We need many decades to converge with the European Union, and given current economic trends, which are unfortunately changing, we now need to adapt to geo-economics and geopolitics to see where Kosovo, as a small economy, will find its place... We have developed an economic model based on consumption rather than production. We consume more as a society than we produce. We are dependent on remittances and imports, therefore we have a negative trade balance. It is essential to change this economic model,” he said.

Positive remarks about the book, in her capacity as a reviewer, were also given by the President of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences, Justina Pula.

“It has a scientific, modern, and professional approach based on the coverage and relevance of the time in this field. Academician Mustafa, with his theoretical and scientific professionalism, as well as practical experience, presents a scientific blend of the theory of the free market economy, the theory of economic convergence, and the economic policies followed by Kosovo in its steps of economic and social development. Therefore, in this book he brings innovation both in terms of methodology and approach, following a scientific approach and incorporating an intellectual and professional overview of the convergence of Kosovo’s economy with the European Union,” she emphasized.

Meanwhile, another reviewer, academic Besnik Krasniqi, said the book makes an important contribution to the country’s field of economics.

“It addresses one of the most important issues for Kosovo’s economic development and European perspective. This book is an important contribution to the field of economics and to the scientific debate on economic development, institutions, and the European integration process of our country. The topic of economic convergence is one of the central concepts in economics and development. It relates to the process through which less developed economies gradually approach the level of advanced countries. In the case of Kosovo, this process is closely linked to the perspective of integration into the European Union and efforts to build a modern market economy,” he said.

Mustafa has been a member of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences since 2012.