On the way to the European Union, Kosovo remains in the middle.

It has only signed a Stabilization-Association Agreement with the EU, which is the first step towards membership in the bloc.

The European future has been confirmed several times, but there have been no noticeable results in practice.

"Kosovo's path to Europe has been hindered mostly by corruption and nepotism in employment.

If it wasn't for the crime, Kosovo would be able to progress twice as much", says Osman Maliqi, a citizen from Pristina.

If this continues, he adds, Kosovo can join the EU "in 2050".

Hysen Ramabaja, from the city of Kamenica, thinks differently.

He says that Russia's war in Ukraine has created a new situation and, according to him, it is in the interest of the Western powers to integrate the countries of the Western Balkans.

"Kosovo is at a new moment, due to its geostrategic position and the interests of the EU and the US... There is nowhere [the EU] can go without integrating the Western Balkans as well," says Ramabaja.

The countries of the Western Balkans have been promised a European perspective and support for the implementation of reforms for almost two decades.

In a summit held in 2003 in Thessaloniki, Greece, the EU member states adopted a joint declaration, in which it was said: "The future of the Balkans is within the EU".

Since then, only Croatia among the countries of the region has joined the EU, in 2013.

Negotiations for membership have been started by Montenegro and Serbia for years, while Albania and North Macedonia also started in July of this year.

Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina only have a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.

This contractual agreement - the only one between Kosovo and the European Union - was signed in 2014, while it entered into force in 2016.

Confirmation of the European future

In 2005, the European Commission (EC) confirmed the European future of Kosovo, even though the status was not resolved.

In 2009, one year after the declaration of independence, Kosovo's European future was again confirmed and, in 2012, the European Commission started the visa liberalization dialogue with Kosovo.

Dozens of criteria have been imposed on Kosovo, including additional ones, which, according to both sides, have been met.

However, as of 2018, the EU states have not reached an agreement to enable Kosovars to move freely.

Especially France and the Netherlands have expressed great reservations.

Unlike all the countries of the Western Balkans, Kosovo is the only one that does not have visa liberalization with the EU.

EU: Kosovo is showing commitment

In the office of the European Union in Kosovo, they do not give any assessment for the efficiency of Kosovo in the implementation of the SAA, but they say that it has shown commitment in fulfilling its obligations.

"Kosovo has consistently expressed its commitment to the European integration process.

This refers both to the public (according to the results of public opinion polls) and institutions, as well as to the commercial sector, for which the EU is the largest partner.

The work on the necessary reforms is continuing", says the statement of the EU Office in Kosovo, given to Radio Free Europe.

However, the organizations that monitor the implementation of the SAA, say that Kosovo's institutions have stalled in fulfilling the objectives set by this agreement.

Njomëza Arifi, from the Group for Legal and Political Studies in Pristina, says that Kosovo has barely managed to implement half of them.

"The SAA, practically, is a document that is divided into three chapters: good governance and rule of law, education and economic development.

Each of these chapters has objectives to be met on an annual basis.

However, most of the objectives are not even 50 percent fulfilled, due to the lack of will, as well as the lack of inter-institutional coordination", says Arifi for REL.

Optimism in the Government

Government officials are more optimistic about Kosovo's European path.

Mehdi Sejdiu, adviser to the first deputy prime minister for European integration, Besnik Bislimi, says that Kosovo is not far behind the region in relation to integration processes.

Sejdiu says that the SAA is being implemented and that the institutions are focused on implementing the European agenda.

According to him, Kosovo will officially apply to become a member of the European Union during this year, since, as he says, there are no additional conditions to carry out this process.

"We do not have any specific conditions before applying.

The application can be made immediately.

Normally, this is only the beginning of the process, while other processes that take place after the application, such as receiving the questionnaire, filling in the questionnaire, then other decisions in the EU structures, are the ones that require their time", says Sejdiu .

But, apart from the technical criteria, the European Commission has said that Kosovo's progress in the EU also depends on its dialogue with Serbia for the normalization of relations.

Both countries have been conducting negotiations since 2011. Despite dozens of agreements reached, most are not implemented on the ground.

What after the application?

The accession of countries to the EU is a very complex and years-long process.

To get there, several steps must be taken and several stages must be passed, such as: application for EU membership, recommendation for candidate status, candidate status, initiation of membership negotiations, completion of negotiations and ratification of the membership treaty.

Route of the countries of the region:

Albania

Albania applied for EU membership in 2009.

In 2010, her visa regime was lifted.

The European Commission, in 2010, estimated that before the membership negotiations, this country must fulfill some criteria.

In 2012, the EC recommended that Albania be given the status of a candidate country.

In June 2014, Albania was granted the status of a candidate country.

In July 2022, an intergovernmental conference was held between the EU and Albania, which marked the formal opening of negotiations between them.

North Macedonia

In 2004, North Macedonia officially applied for EU membership.

This year, the SAA between it and the EU entered into force.

In 2005, it was granted the status of a candidate country.

In 2009, it was recommended to open negotiations for the membership of North Macedonia in the EU.

In 2009, visas were also removed from the country.

In July of this year, the intergovernmental conference on membership negotiations between the EU and North Macedonia was held.

Serbia

Serbia officially applied for membership in the EU in 2009. That same year, its visas were revoked.

In March 2012, Serbia was granted candidate status.

In 2013, it started negotiations for EU membership.

So far, Serbia has opened eighteen chapters, out of 35 in total, and has temporarily closed two chapters.

Montenegro

In 2008, Montenegro applied for EU membership, while a year later, the EU revoked its visas.

In 2010, the European Commission issued a favorable opinion on Montenegro's application, identifying the priorities it would need to address.

In the same year, it was granted the status of a candidate country.

It started negotiations for EU membership in 2012. So far, it has opened 33 chapters, of which three have been temporarily closed.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina had their visas revoked in 2010.

Its Stabilization-Association Agreement with the EU was ratified and entered into force in 2015.

Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for EU membership in February 2016.

The EC has adopted the Opinion on Bosnia's application in May 2019, identifying the main priorities that the country must fulfill in order to open EU accession negotiations.

The opinion includes a roadmap for reforms in the areas of democracy/functionality, rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration.

How and at what pace the journey of the Western Balkan countries will continue remains to be seen.

Recently, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, has proposed the creation of a "European political community" that, according to him, could be open to countries that are not yet part of the EU.

The idea has found both support and criticism.

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