By Bekim Collaku
Kosovo European Integration Minister

This year, Europe Day comes at a time of exceptional pro-European enthusiasm. Europe Day has always been a day of celebration in Kosovo, but this year we have significant and concrete steps to celebrate; finally the pace is picking up on our journey to EU integration. In these past two months we have seen definite movements in two of the main instruments of the EU’s enlargement policy: the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and visa liberalisation. These movements are the result of hard work by Kosovo institutions since day one of our independence. Our institutions have demonstrated continuous commitment in fulfilling the strictest and most voluminous criteria to have ever been imposed on any country in the region and beyond.  

Signing the SAA created a new momentum in the relations between my country and the European Union. From now on, EU-Kosovo relations have advanced to a new stage, from declarative political relations to contractual relations with rights and obligations for both parties. The current momentum should be used as an opportunity to set in motion other engines of reform in order to push Kosovo towards a new landmark in the EU accession process. 

The SAA is ‘our contract for the future’ by which we will move closer to the EU and in the process, further develop our society. With the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in place, the road ahead – from its implementation up to EU membership – represents a fundamental process that will profoundly transform Kosovo both domestically and in terms of its relations with the EU. Reforms envisaged in this agreement will serve as a catalyst for economic growth, creation of new jobs, improving the quality of life and strengthening the rule of law in our country. Our institutions will use the SAA as a platform to prepare for the next step in the process of European integration. Our goal is to receive candidate status for membership of the European Union, during the current term of the EU Institutions. This goal will not be achieved without a serious commitment to further reforms. However, Kosovo embraces this commitment unreservedly. We also intend to work closely with all EU member states to ensure their continued support for the full integration of Kosovo in the EU. 

Kosovo’s place in Europe has no alternative. Last week we witnessed the end of the unjust isolation of Kosovo in the most popular sport on the planet. The Football Federation of Kosovo’s membership in UEFA is a historical achievement giving young Kosovars yet another reason to feel a true European belonging. Further memberships in international sports associations and beyond should follow. 

Less than 24 hours after our admission to UEFA, the European Commission took the legal initiative that paves the way for visa-free travel for citizens of Kosovo in the Schengen zone. Visa-free travel is of immense importance as it will give the practical opportunity for the citizens of Kosovo to extend their business contacts and visit family members, something we have been patiently awaiting. However, beyond the importance of visa-free travel as such, the process and the reforms made in this context have approximated the country to European standards. Today Kosovo is more stable, consolidated and developed at least in part due to the visa liberalisation process.

 The SAA and the progress made towards visa liberalisation are direct results of our work. Even to the biggest sceptics, it should be evident that commitment to reforms brings about concrete results in the form of advancement on the path towards EU integration. Now we need to do all that we can to take advantage of these two processes in the best way possible. In the case of the SAA, the focus is on the implementation of reforms, which will move us towards the next goal, that of achieving the status of candidate country for membership in the European Union. 

Finally, the European integration process is not about bringing our country physically closer to Brussels. On the contrary, the EU integration process is about bringing and building Europe here. This job is ours and ours alone, a job for the government, a job for civil society and a job for citizens. Therefore, we remain committed to bringing the European integration process closer to citizens, not for the purpose of raising awareness about the process but for the purpose of having a meaningful role and responsibility in the process.  I am very pleased that Kosovars, known as the ‘young Europeans’, fully embrace European values and I am very much convinced that they will demonstrate the same support for all the reforms and obligations that come with the SAA as they have shown for the processes that have become a reality this year.