Following the European Parliament’s ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Kosovo, the parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek hailed the move as historical. “This agreement is a landmark in Kosovo’s relationship with the EU and its development as a European state. For the first time, the EU and Kosovo will enter into a contractual agreement, which is another important step on Kosovo’s path towards EU integration,” said Lunacek in a statement.

Kosovo’s Minister for European Integration, announced that the European Parliament had voted for the Stabilization Association Agreement, signed between Kosovo and the EU in October of last year. He expressed his gratefulness to all Euro-deputies for their votes in favor of Kosovo. “During its plenary sessions today, the European Parliament gave consent for the Stabilization, Association Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and the European Union.

In a visit to Brussels, Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa accompanied by Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci and European Integration Minister Bekim Collaku met President of European Parliament Martin Schulz and expressed appreciation of the government and the people of Kosovo for special support EP has provided to Kosovo. PM Mustafa stressed the importance of the signing of Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the hope that the European Parliament would soon ratify the agreement.

All media cover today’s press conference by the European Parliament Vice President and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Ulrike Lunacek, who is visiting Kosovo. On the agreement for the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Koha quotes Lunacek as saying, “if the Constitutional Court finds that the agreement on the general principles for the formation of the Association is in opposition with the Constitution of Kosovo, the agreement must be renegotiated”.

The President of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli, met today with the European Parliament Vice President and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Ulrike Lunacek, to discuss current developments in Kosovo and the region, dialogue and Kosovo’s challenges in the path toward European integration. Veseli said: “We are at a point where dialogue and understanding between the government and the opposition is key for moving forward with our European integration agenda.

The deputies of the French National Front led by Marine Le Pen, through its newly formed parliamentary group in the European Parliament, submitted a draft resolution on the suspension of negotiations on Serbia's membership in the EU, learned Danas in Brussels. They pointed out that reason for this resolution is their worry that Serbia "will face the same destiny as France." The signatories of this document are MPs Steeve Briois, Dominique Bilde, Sophie Montel, Mireille D'Ornano, Aymeric Chauprade.

The newly elected chairman of the ‘Friends of Serbia’ informal group in the European Parliament (EP) Emilian Pavel believes that when it came to the recognition of Kosovo, Romania should align its position with that of other European Union members.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic hopes that EU countries will recognize the efforts Serbia is investing in the dialogue with Pristina.

He made this statement in Belgrade on Wednesday as he received Gianni Pittella, president of the group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (EP).

According to the Serbian government, the prime minister "also expressed the hope that EU countries would also recognize other political and economic reform processes and back Serbia's progress on its EU path by opening negotiating chapters."

European Parliament (EP) has approved on Wednesday a resolution on the progress of Kosovo proposed by MEP Ulrike Lunacek.

For the sixth time in a row, the European Parliament called on the European Union to exert its influence upon the five member countries which have not yet recognized the independence of Kosovo.

The resolution states that the recognition of Kosovo would further normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia and it would bring Kosovo further to the EU.

EP member and Vice-President of the Socialist & Democrats group, Tanja Fajon, voiced the opinion that the opening of the first chapters in the Serbia's negotiations with the EU should occur as soon as possible.

"And in the resolution of the European Parliament on the progress of Serbia, we invited the European Commission to immediately start the negotiations," she told Danas newspapers on the eve of today's vote on the final version of the resolution on Serbia's progress in European integration.