• Osmani: All EU measures toward Kosovo will be lifted (Koha)
• Osmani meets Costa, “no reason to delay full removal of measures” (Zeri)
• Costa welcomes steps taken to build trust between communities in Kosovo (media)
• EU calls for implementation of all agreements reached in the dialogue (media)
• Kearns: The sanctions on Kosovo were always unfair (Telegrafi)
• Kurti promises €1 billion for army, and average wage of over €1,000 (Koha)
• Kurti: I believe day will come when main bridge over Iber will be opened too (RTK)
• Haradinaj promises NATO membership, doubling of salaries and pensions (RTK)
• US Embassy: We aim to work with new govt in advancing joint priorities (RFE)
• Kosovo Supreme Court overturns acting chief prosecutor’s dismissal (BIRN)
• Leaked WhatsApp conversations between Mihali, Rizvanolli and Mujka (Vox Kosova)
• Mojsilovic, ground forces tactical unit commanders discuss security in Serbia, region (Tanjug)
• Elek calls on Kosovo Serbs to vote for Serbian list in December 28 polls (Tanjug)

Osmani: All EU measures toward Kosovo will be lifted (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Wednesday that following intensive discussions in Brussels, she was pleased to share the important news that all EU measures toward Kosovo will be lifted. “An important part will be programmed immediately, with the remainder becoming effective in January. I extend my sincere thanks to European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and to all our partners for recognizing the hard work Kosovo has delivered, meeting all criteria and advancing meaningful reforms. Kosovo remains firmly committed to its European path. We will continue to work closely with the European partners to ensure that the next chapter of this path brings the long-awaited news, that of the candidate status,” Osmani said.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday after the EU-Western Balkans Summit that she was happy to announce that “following the smooth and orderly transition of local l governance in the north after the recent local elections, we are moving forward to lift the measures on Kosovo. We are programming 216 million euro of financial assistance. And we intend to release 205 million euro early next year”.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/mSUdI

Osmani meets Costa, “no reason to delay full removal of measures” (Zeri)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met in Brussels on Wednesday with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. Osmani said in a Facebook post that she welcomed the EU’s decision to partly remove the measures “and we hope and work that they are removed completely as soon as possible”. “At the meeting, I highlighted that Kosovo has met all the conditions set by the EU, although they were unfair, therefore, there is no reason to obstruct or delay the removal of the remaining measures. At the same time, we hope that as soon as possible we will have the support of all member states that Kosovo too, in a merit-based process, will get the candidate status for membership in the European Union,” she said.

Costa welcomes steps taken to build trust between communities in Kosovo (media)

European Council President Antonio Costa said on Wednesday that regarding Kosovo, the EU welcomes the steps taken to build trust between communities. “The upcoming parliamentary elections can be a crucial moment for consolidating the reforms and engaging constructively in the European accession path,” he said in a statement after the EU – Western Balkans Summit.

Costa also said that only by overcoming the past can the Western Balkans fully assume their role as future EU members, and contribute to a stable, prosperous, and united Europe. “The road ahead will not be easy. Some reforms will be difficult, but they are worth it. And I believe that our partners are committed to delivering. We must keep this momentum. For this, we will support our partners every step of the way. Enlargement is a deeply transformational process. Socioeconomic convergence will anchor their future in the European Union. The EU is—and will remain—the Western Balkans’ most reliable partner. They are all part of the European family, and the European Union is their place,” he said.

EU calls for implementation of all agreements reached in the dialogue (media)

The declaration adopted at the EU – Western Balkans Summit notes, among other things, that “the absence of a normalisation of relations between Pristina and Belgrade continues to hold back both partners on their European path. All agreements reached in the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue must be implemented, in particular the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation and its Annex. The support under the Western Balkans Reform and Growth Facility is conditioned on the partners’ constructive engagement with measurable progress and tangible results in the normalisation of their relations”.

Read full statement at: brussels-declaration-2025-en.pdf

Kearns: The sanctions on Kosovo were always unfair (Telegrafi)

British MP Alicia Kearns said on Wednesday that whilst the lifting of the European Union negative measures on Kosovo is welcome, they should have never been issued. “Whilst the lifting of EU negative measures on Kosovo is welcome, they should never have been issued. Srpska List chose to boycott municipal elections. Serbian backed paramilitaries injured thirty KFOR soldiers in 2023. And a paramilitary force led by former Srpska List Vice President Milan Radoicic who trained on Serbian military sites and carried Serbian Military weapons, murdered police officer Afrim Bunjaku during the Banjska Attack. The sanctions on Kosovo were always unfair. Any remaining measures in place should be removed and efforts instead focused on bringing Radoicic and his accomplices to justice and a focus on shared security across the region and a euro-Atlantic future for Kosovo,” Kearns said in a post on X.

Kurti promises €1 billion for army, and average wage of over €1,000 (Koha)

Candidate of the Vetevendosje Movement for Prime Minister in the December 28 parliamentary elections, Albin Kurti, announced on Wednesday the five first decisions if he gets elected. “The first five decisions in our next mandate are: adopting a record-setting budget of €4 billion for 2026; adopting a new law on ceiling prices on basic products in order to stop the abuse with increasing prices; removing the limitation of employment for KLA veterans that receive benefits; the 13^th wage – we will give the 13^th wage at the start of 2026; adopting a package on inflation amounting to €200 million in support of pensioners, children that receive allowances, students and workers in the private sector, and also subsidizing electricity bills for those that save,” he said.

Kurti also promised to strengthen the security and economy sectors. He said that a €1 billion budget will be allocated for the Kosovo army. “We will have an ammunition factory and a factory for producing drones Made in Kosova. As part of the strengthening the army, we will initiate the program of voluntary reserves for inclusive defense,” he said.

Kurti: I believe the day will come when main bridge over Iber will be opened too (RTK)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday at the inauguration of a pedestrian bridge over Iber River in Mitrovica, that he believes that one day the main bridge over Iber will be opened too. “In every meeting we repeat our position that the main bridge over Iber must be open. We now have a total of 77 bridges over the Iber River and most of them are in Kosovo, but there are also some in Montenegro and in Serbia. The only bridge that has uniformed people all the time on it is the main bridge over Iber. I believe that there is no longer a need for KFOR members to be there, but we will solve this issue with open conversation and honest dialogue and I believe that the day will come when that bridge too will be open. Meanwhile we are increasing mobility, greater movement on both sides of the Iber, because we want to have greater trade exchange, freedom of movement for the people and greater economic and cultural cooperation. Bridges do not have an ethnic background, the bridges belong to Mitrovica and to the people of Mitrovica without any differences,” he said.

Haradinaj promises NATO membership, doubling of salaries and pensions (RTK)

At the opening of the election rally in Pristina on Wednesday, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj promised Kosovo’s membership in NATO and the doubling of salaries and pensions if he gets elected Prime Minister. “We will build security along side one another. Our security institutions, the army, the police and other institutions guarantee our security but we know we have the skills and trust and an open and the same way we built the army we can also become members of NATO. To be trusted allies and to join NATO,” he said.

US Embassy: We aim to work with new government in advancing joint priorities (RFE)

The United States Embassy told the news website on Wednesday that after the December 28 parliamentary it aims to work closely with the newly-elected government to advance joint priorities. A spokesperson for the embassy said he hopes “that our partnership with the government of Kosovo deepens” including the resumption of the planned Strategic Dialogue. “This will require action to advance our joint agenda for regional peace, stability and mutual economic prosperity,” the spokesperson said.

Kosovo Supreme Court overturns acting chief prosecutor’s dismissal (BIRN)

Kosovo’s Supreme Court on Wednesday annulled the controversial decision of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to dismiss Besim Kelmendi as Acting State Chief Prosecutor, ruling the move unlawful.

The court said it had returned the case to the Prosecutorial Council for reconsideration. “The Supreme Court has upheld as well-founded the appeal filed by Besim Kelmendi, Acting State Chief Prosecutor, and has annulled the decision of November 20, 2025 as unlawful,” the court’s statement read.

Kelmendi was dismissed last month after media reports alleged that in 1999 he had cooperated with a Serbian judge regarding a probe into the January 1999 Recak/Racak massacre by Serbian forces, which the Serbian judge had described as a “fabricated event”. Forty-five Albanian civilians were killed in the massacre, deemed a crime against humanity by international observers at the time.

Kelmendi denied the allegations. “I was not a judge, prosecutor, or investigator before 2000, when I was appointed a judge at the District Court in Pristina,” he said on November 19.

After the Basic Court rejected Kelmendi’s request for an interim suspension of the KPC’s decision, he appealed to the Supreme Court. This then ruled that the Prosecutorial Council’s decision was “unlawful, arbitrary, and unfounded.”

It also said the decision was “internally contradictory” and adopted through a procedure “not supported by law”. It added that the Prosecutorial Council had incorrectly relied on the Law on General Administrative Procedure when addressing quorum requirements.

Leaked WhatsApp conversations between Mihali, Rizvanolli and Mujka (Vox Kosova)

The news website published on Wednesday what it claims to be a leaked WhatsApp conversations involving Vetevendosje Movement coordinator Dejona Mihali, Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli, and CEO of Iber Lepenci water company Faruk Mujka, about his appointment to the post. The news website claims the conversations were included in the file of the Kosovo prosecution.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/y5CJm

Mojsilovic, ground forces tactical unit commanders discuss security in Serbia, region (Tanjug)

Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met on Wednesday with the commanders of tactical units constituting a part of the SAF ground forces to discuss the security situation in Serbia and the region, as well as plans for next year.

In a closing address, Mojsilovic issued specific tasks and guidelines, noting that important tasks and security challenges were ahead and that the SAF must be prepared to respond to them.

He said that, with strong support from the state leadership and as a matter of priority, bolstering of capabilities would be continued in areas crucial for success and victory in the conditions on the modern battlefield.

Looking back on implementation of key tasks, Mojsilovic and the unit commanders discussed the security situation in the country and the region, in particular, in the Ground Safety Zone, as well as the units' missions and tasks and plans for next year, the Serbian MoD said in a statement.

They also discussed further advancement of the efficiency of rapid reaction forces in executing tasks from the SAF's primary mission, which comes as a result of the introduction to operational use of recently acquired modern arms and equipment.

Elek calls on Kosovo Serbs to vote for Serbian list in December 28 polls (Tanjug)

Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek said on Wednesday the December 28 early elections for the Kosovo assembly were extremely important and historic, and called on Serbs in Kosovo to turn out and vote for the Serbian List (SL). 

Addressing a North Mitrovica rally that marked the start of the SL’s election campaign, Elek said the elections were a "referendum" for the Kosovo Serbs and that SL was the only Serb party representing the interests of the Serbs, and that it did not want to renounce Serbia, its president and its people.

He said Serb voters were choosing "between security and uncertainty, between unity and division."

"On December 28, the task will be simple - to turn out in the highest possible numbers and circle number 127 – Serbian List and the ten assembly members who will be representing the interests of the Serbs," he said.

He said the Pristina authorities should know that the Serbs could not be erased by decrees, subjugated, divided, intimidated or bribed.

When they are united, the Serbs can never be defeated, Elek said, noting that, in recent local elections, the Serbs had reclaimed the municipalities in the north of the province.

"In difficult times such as these, Serbs unite, and they will win with Serbian Lisy at the helm," Elek said.