The will of the people of Kosovo is clear, as is the EU’s vision for the Western Balkans: the future of the region is in the EU. Together, we want to move forward towards this common goal
By Aivo Orav
2025: New dynamics, new opportunities
As we leave 2024 behind, it is time to reflect on what we have achieved and make commitments for 2025: a year of new dynamics and opportunities.
As a newcomer to Kosovo, with only four months in office, I was deeply impressed by the results of a survey commissioned by the EU, which found that 92% of respondents support Kosovo’s membership in the EU. Kosovo also has the most positive views towards the EU, with 91% of respondents expressing a favorable attitude. What a welcoming environment for an EU ambassador!
The will of the people of Kosovo is clear, as is the EU’s vision for the Western Balkans: the future of the region is in the EU. Together, we want to move forward towards this common goal.
The recent EU-Western Balkans summit demonstrated renewed momentum for our strategic partnership and a new dynamic of the enlargement process. The new president of the European Council, António Costa, described enlargement as the EU’s most important geopolitical investment – ​​an investment in peace and prosperity for all. And this is short and Albanian: an investment for our common future.
For this to happen, both the EU and the future member states must be ready. The EU needs to lay the necessary internal foundations and implement reforms, while the target members need to step up their reform efforts.
Gradual integration and the Growth Plan as a catalyst for reforms
The gradual integration of the region is already underway in many areas. The perfect example is the €6 billion Growth Plan – a tool that will allow our Western Balkan partners, including Kosovo, to reap some of the benefits of partial integration into the EU’s single market even before full membership. in the EU.
The Growth Plan will also stimulate reforms related to the EU, as payments under the Instrument for Reforms and Growth will be made after the completion of the agreed steps of reforms described in the Kosovo Reform Agenda. In total, more than 880 million euros are available for the implementation of the Reform Agenda.
With this in mind, my message to Kosovo is to make full use of the Growth Plan, implement the Reform Agenda and get closer to the EU. Expansion is a meritorious process and the pace of integration is in the hands of Kosovo itself. This will depend on the country’s readiness and achievements in implementing the necessary reforms.
As Kosovo’s largest trading partner, investor and provider of financial assistance, the EU will continue to support Kosovo in its reform process.
However, I would like to emphasize that the process of reforms is not only related to the acceptance of the funds of the Growth Plan or to the EU membership. The goal is to implement democratic and economic reforms for a better Kosovo; to ensure a better life for the people of Kosovo.
In this spirit, the EU would also like to see a lasting solution to the situation in northern Kosovo, to see a place where all communities live side by side, safe, feel properly represented by those who are on duty, and to receive due care from their public services.
The 2025 election and the importance of information integrity
This year, Kosovo will hold parliamentary elections under a new electoral framework, which implements recommendations from successive EU election observation missions. A transparent, well-administered, inclusive and competitive electoral process is key to any democratic society.
But for any electoral process, the integrity of information and voters’ access to accurate, reliable and authentic information is also of critical importance. How important this is was clearly seen during the recent presidential election in Romania on November 24, where there were serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the election using TikTok. This prompted the European Commission to launch formal proceedings against TikTok for an alleged breach of the Digital Services Act regarding the platform’s obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks related to the integrity of elections.
The manipulation of information and foreign interference is a global challenge: it poses a threat to liberal democracies, which depend on free and open information. But when the information that citizens depend on is distorted or manipulated, it undermines their ability to make informed decisions.
As noted author and television producer Peter Pomerantsev has said, “When information is a weapon, everyone is at war.” Any individual can become a target of information manipulation. The issue is what we do to fight it and how we react: fact-checking every piece of information we come across, reporting illegal content.
In addition to the reporting of facts by the media, it is essential that we all help maintain a clean information space. This includes addressing potential threats from actors who spread disturbing or divisive narratives, sow suspicion in society, fuel inter-ethnic tensions or undermine democratic processes.
The EU will do what it has to do. We have commissioned a study on disinformation during the upcoming elections in Kosovo, focusing on identifying key narratives, their actors and their impact on public opinion and the electoral process.
By fostering a space where everyone feels safe, we can ensure that information remains a tool for empowerment, not division.
Kosovo is voluntarily aligned with the Common Security and Defense Policy of the EU, bearing its own weight in facing our geopolitical challenges. The information field is equally vital for our democracies and we rely on the support from Kosovo in this field as well.
My pledge and wish for the New Year 2025
Over the past four months, I have served as a bridge between the EU and Kosovo, fostering deeper diplomatic, economic, developmental and cultural relations. My promise for the New Year is to get to know Kosovo and its citizens better and to help Kosovo get even closer to the EU.
My wish for 2025 is that it will be a year filled with prosperity, peace, health, cooperation and unity in diversity.
I wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year!
(The author is the Ambassador of the European Union in Kosovo)Â
