Civil society in Kosovo asks the EU to lift punitive measures

2025-10-20 18:18:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A number of civil society organizations in Kosovo called on the European Union (EU) on Monday to lift remaining punitive measures against Kosovo by 2023, saying that the circumstances that initially prompted the imposition of the measures "no longer exist."

In a letter to the European bloc, 12 signatory organizations said that "we are deeply concerned about the negative impact that these measures have had on the European aspirations of the citizens of Kosovo."

“Beyond their financial impact, these measures have discouraged reform efforts, limited the work of civil society, and reduced assistance to the rule of law, health, and education. This situation continues to hinder the European integration of Kosovo, which remains the only country on the continent with a clear orientation toward the EU that has not yet received candidate status ,” the letter states.

Signatory organizations

Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS)
Kosovo European Policy Institute (EPIK)
GAP Institute for Advanced Studies
Kosovo Civil Society Foundation (KCSF)
Development Policy Institute (INDEP)
Community Development Fund (CDF)
Kosovo Women's Network (KWN)
Kosovo Law Institute (KLI)
FOL Movement
Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC)
Democracy for Development (D4D)
Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI)

The EU punished Kosovo in June 2023, due to what it assessed as the role of the Kosovo Government in fueling ethnic tensions in the north of the country - an area inhabited by a Serb majority.

In May of this year, the European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced during her first visit to Kosovo that the gradual lifting of measures had begun.

She did not explain at the time what measures might have been lifted, but Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty learned from its sources in Brussels that the measures that have been lifted relate to the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the first contractual pact between Kosovo and the European bloc, and the Western Balkans Investment Framework.

Kosovo civil society organizations said in their letter that they “strongly believe” that the complete and final lifting of these measures “at this stage is appropriate and necessary.”

They cited the participation of Kosovo Serbs in this month's local elections in the Serb-majority north as a positive step towards restoring representation and legitimacy.

The Serbian List, the largest party of Kosovo Serbs, returned power to the four municipalities with a Serb majority, winning each of them in the October 12 elections, three years after boycotting Kosovo institutions and abandoning previous local elections.

"We believe that the circumstances that initially prompted the imposition of the measures no longer exist. With the establishment of new institutions at the local level, the lifting of the measures would convey a positive message of cooperation between the EU and Kosovo and would further strengthen the EU's credibility and its engagement in the region," the letter from the Kosovo civil society organizations further states.

These punitive measures have cost Kosovo around 615 million euros in suspended or indefinitely postponed projects, while 7.1 million euros have been lost after the allowed deadlines were exceeded, according to a report by the Institute for Advanced Studies – GAP.

Kosovo's leaders have repeatedly called on the EU to lift the measures against their country, including during the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Pristina a few days ago. /REL