Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Huchet<\/strong>, Ambassador of France to Kosovo, stated that enlargement has returned to the centre of Europe\u2019s strategic agenda, but that beyond the strategic consensus, EU capitals still differ on the pace, conditions and methods of enlargement. For France, enlargement must be credible, merit-based and accompanied by parallel preparations within the EU to ensure that its institutions, policies and budget are ready for new members. He pointed to Kosovo\u2019s membership application and visa-free travel to the Schengen area as important developments on its European path, while stressing that the way forward requires sustained reforms, the rule of law, stronger institutions and continued engagement in the dialogue with Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Schnetzer<\/strong>, Ambassador of Austria to Kosovo, emphasised that enlargement is a strategic priority for Europe\u2019s security and strategic autonomy, but that the current approach does not match the geopolitical urgency. According to him, the process should move faster through concrete steps, including an assessment of Kosovo\u2019s EU membership application by the European Commission as a step towards candidate status, moving ahead with accession negotiations, the simplification and streamlining of procedures, including through qualified majority voting, and the prevention of blockages arising from bilateral issues, while maintaining the agreed criteria and reform requirements. He presented gradual integration as a way to deliver tangible benefits before membership, underlining that full membership of the Western Balkans in the EU remains the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his address, Jeton Zulfaj<\/strong>, Chief Negotiator of the Republic of Kosovo with the European Union, focused on the gap between Kosovo\u2019s progress on reforms and practical integration with the EU, pointing to delays caused by the blockade in the Assembly and to the stalled membership application. According to him, the Council has yet to request the Commission\u2019s opinion on Kosovo\u2019s application. He said that the priority should be obtaining candidate status and opening accession negotiations, while normalization of relations with Serbia could be addressed through a dedicated chapter during the accession process, as it is for Serbia under Chapter 35. He emphasised that, in the current geopolitical context, Kosovo\u2019s full alignment with the EU\u2019s Common Foreign and Security Policy and adherence to the EU\u2019s fundamental values should weigh more heavily in assessing its progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several assessments of the state and future of the enlargement process emerged during the panel discussion, moderated by Florent Marciacq<\/strong>, Deputy Secretary General of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe and Research Associate at the Institut fran\u00e7ais des relations internationales (Ifri) in Vienna and Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discussion highlighted that Member States\u2019 positions on enlargement are shaped by how each country interprets the geopolitical imperative, as well as by domestic interests, security concerns, the EU\u2019s absorption capacity and differing visions for the EU\u2019s own future. The panel noted that political support for enlargement has increased since the war in Ukraine, but that there is not necessarily a shared understanding of how, or how far, the EU should enlarge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Kosovo\u2019s path towards the EU, this means that geopolitical momentum does not automatically translate into progress. Kosovo\u2019s position depends not only on meeting the criteria, but also on political cohesion among the Member States and the place Kosovo holds among their enlargement priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discussion highlighted the argument that Kosovo\u2019s European path should not be viewed only through the lens of the Kosovo\u2013Serbia dialogue. It also discussed the possibility of using gradual integration mechanisms and new forms of participation in areas where the question of status poses fewer constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel included Donika Emini<\/strong>, Executive Director of the Balkan Research Institute in Prishtina, Research Fellow at the University of Graz and member of BiEPAG; Ruth Ferrero-Turri\u00f3n<\/strong>, Professor at the Complutense Institute for International Studies in Madrid; Kai-Olaf Lang<\/strong>, Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin; Clotilde Warin<\/strong>, Associate Research Fellow at the Institut Jacques Delors and Director of the Europe Programme at Eastern Circles in Paris; and Doris Wydra<\/strong>, Senior Scientist and Executive Director of the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies in Salzburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event was supported by Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, the Austrian Embassy in Prishtina and Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 September 2026 The return of enlargement to the forefront of the European agenda, differences among EU capitals over the pace and conditions of the process, and the implications for Kosovo were the focus of the high-level discussion \u201cEuropean Capitals on Enlargement: Perspectives, Priorities and Kosovo\u2019s Path Forward\u201d. The discussion brought together experts from across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25709,"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","news-category":[],"class_list":["post-25754","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kcsfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/21e44f1e-dec0-abbd-2348-5cb92da69417.jpg\")
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