Two memorandums of cooperation will be signed today at the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Initially, CEC will be signing a memorandum of cooperation with the EU Office in Kosovo, for monitoring of the early parliamentary elections. Another memorandum of cooperation will be signed between the government of Kosovo and the EU Office in Kosovo. These memorandums will be signed by the head of CEC, Valdete Daka, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj and the EU Special Representative in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova.

The Office of the European Union in Kosovo, requests for the election process in Kosovo to by fair and in accordance with the European standards.

“As far as the election process itself is concerned, Kosovo should demonstrate capability to organize fair and free elections in accordance with the European standards,” the EU officials said adding that an acceptable result for everyone should be reached.

The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will meet on 24 May for a working dinner six Western Balkans leaders. Media in Brussels report that the intention of this informal meeting is to discuss the situation in the region.

Analysts say the US announcement of sending an additional 130 troops to Kosovo to support KFOR and NATO is a message to warmongering politicians in the region.

The troops in question are members of US special units of the Tupelo-based 1st Battalion, "highly trained for emergency response," the daily Blic is reporting.

The EU has been repeatedly "called out" by Belgrade for failing to react to statements made by Ramush Haradinaj.

This topic has now been addressed by Federica Mogherini's spokeswoman.

Maja Kocijancic assessed that "statements that can be interpreted as political interference in neighboring countries are not helpful in building good neighborly relations in the Western Balkans."

Struggling against Euroscepticism in Western Europe, the EU is seeking to reinvent itself with expansion to the East that threatens the stability of the Balkans, analyst Igor Pshenichnikov warns.

Amid rising Euroscepticism in Western Europe, the EU is focused on eastern enlargement, but its desire to “relaunch” the European project depends on pressuring eastern European countries into making painful concessions, such as the demand on Serbia to give up sovereignty over Kosovo.

European Western Balkans carries the speech of the Head of the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative, Nataliya Apostolova,  on Europe Day 2017:

Good morning Kosovo citizens,

Mirëdita,

Dobar dan to all,

on Europe Day in Kosovo!

On 9 May we celebrate peace and unity in Europe. On this day, we reconfirm our common values of solidarity, democracy, rule of law, and freedom.

Minister without Portfolio in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimović and Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić met with ambassadors of EU member-states in Belgrade on Thursday. The ambassadors were informed about the current situation in the region, positions of Belgrade regarding the open threats and negative reactions towards Serbia as well as the concerns of the Serbian government that the EU and its members turn a blind eye on all that.

Greater engagement from Brussels is expected regarding the situation in the region, Serbian officials have told EU ambassadors.

Minister without Portfolio in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic and Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric met with ambassadors of EU member-states in Belgrade on Thursday.

Southeastern Europe is entering renewed crisis—and Moscow is fomenting more chaos at a dangerous time