Peci underlines that, in this context, the first steps should be to send the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities for review to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo and to regulate the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church – issues that are internal, but with a direct impact on international relations, according to him.
Albin Kurti won the trust of voters with a strong discourse on Kosovo’s sovereignty and equality as a state. But he begins his new term as prime minister at a time when transatlantic relations are fragile and geopolitical challenges are new. Those who watch him say it is essential for Kurti to restore the trust of allies and avoid surprise moves – otherwise, the risks are serious. Kurti’s Vetëvendosje movement won the December 28 elections convincingly, taking over 51% of the vote and breaking its own record. After months of political deadlock, because the February 2025 elections did not bring the same success, Kurti was re-elected prime minister on February 11 and pledged that his new term will focus on concrete results and effective governance for citizens. “The mandate we are seeking is a mandate of work, justice and dignity for everyone. A mandate of security and prosperity for all,” Kurti said the night his government was voted in.
During the presentation of the new cabinet, Kurti took stock of the past mandate, highlighting achievements in the economy, security and democracy, and presented future priorities in education, social welfare and energy. In foreign policy, he underlined that he will work with everyone on the basis of mutual respect, that alliances with the EU, the US and NATO remain unshakable, and that he will pursue normalization with Serbia through constructive and creative dialogue. “As we have done in the past four years, normalization is a matter of regulating relations between two states, that is, as a bilateral and external relationship and not intervention or meddling in internal affairs,” Kurti said.
Kurti served as prime minister for several weeks in 2020, but that government collapsed after disagreements between coalition partners over the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. His full term, which followed, was deeply characterized by a determination to extend the authority of Kosovo institutions to the north of the country – an area inhabited by a Serb majority – where decisions from official Pristina have not been implemented for years. Despite opposition and protests, his government managed to replace Serbian car license plates with Kosovo ones, abolish the Serbian dinar, and close most of Serbia’s parallel institutions, which had been operating since the post-war period and employed thousands of people. These decisions – essential to his vision of a sovereign Kosovo – significantly strained relations with allies. The EU and the US described them as uncoordinated steps, with consequences for the Serb community.
The clashes between them were also accompanied by warnings from Washington about the deterioration of the partnership and punitive measures against Kosovo – although, according to Kurti, they were simply disagreements between friends. The United States Embassy in Kosovo said it hopes to work with the new Government to advance shared priorities, including: Regional peace, stability and mutual economic prosperity, while the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said that a new momentum has been created to advance relations between the EU and Kosovo and the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Some observers believe that the dialogue with Serbia should be the main priority of Kurti’s foreign agenda, since Kosovo’s opening up and its progress towards European integration depend on it.
Abit Hoxha, a lecturer and researcher at Agder University in Norway, says that sovereignty does not only mean the ability to maintain borders, but also the ability to make decisions in the best interest of the country. According to him, the dialogue should not be seen as a process that favors Serbia, but as a strategic tool to strengthen Kosovo’s international position. “Unilateral implementation of the agreements would put Kosovo in an advantageous position, both in relation to the EU, but also to Serbia. Kosovo, so far, has followed what Serbia has done: non-implementation of the agreements,” Hoxha tells Radio Free Europe’s Expose program.
The two countries have not held a high-level meeting since September 2023. The continuation of the dialogue was blocked after the attack in Banjska, after Kurti linked it to the surrender of the suspected perpetrator, Milan Radoićić – an action that Serbia did not take. Lulzim Peci, from the Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development, says that implementing Kosovo’s obligations in the dialogue is not for Serbia, but to gain the trust of the international community. Only in this way, according to him, can Kosovo pave the way towards membership in the Council of Europe and then towards EU candidacy – issues that are decided by the EU countries themselves, not Belgrade. “We should know that with Serbia, experience shows that you can reach agreements and start implementing them, but you should not expect them to implement all the points as agreed, because Serbia has the negotiating style of Russia in relation to Kosovo. So, you think you have reached an agreement and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of the ocean,” Peci tells Exposena.
Peci underlines that, in this context, the first steps should be to send the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities for review to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo and to regulate the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church – issues that are internal, but with a direct impact on international relations, according to him. “Kosovo now needs to refrain from taking actions behind the backs of its allies, especially on issues of the north and the Serbian community. Rebuilding trust with the West will take time, as its stance after losing confidence in the Kosovo Government will be tested in the coming months,” says Peci.
Transatlantic relations are at a low point, strained by a range of issues – from uncertainty over support for Ukraine and the situation in Gaza, to US interests in Greenland. Therefore, Kurt Bassuener, of the Council for Democratization Policy in Berlin, suggests that Kosovo carefully manage relations with the US and strengthen its position in Europe, aiming for recognition from the five countries that have not yet recognized it and presenting itself as an asset to a more unified and stable EU. “Kosovo should see its long-term interests, in terms of guaranteeing its independence and the ability to be a democratic and self-governing state. And now… I would say that this is more likely through Europe – although it is painful to admit – than through the United States, under the current management,” Bassuener tells Exposé. He adds that Kosovo must be open to new partners who can strengthen its independence and security, but always maintaining compatibility with European aspirations.
Hoxha, on the other hand, insists that Kosovo be more proactive with the US, initiating issues in its own interest. “Kosovo should not reject positions coming from the White House in the interest of Kosovo. It should look beyond. We had a series of interventions from the US State Department during the last mandate, which were categorically rejected and have caused a rift between the two countries,” says Hoxha. And, while politicians discuss strategy and international relations, priorities and decisions, ordinary citizens pursue life with completely different concerns: from pensions and health insurance to daily services that affect their pockets. They want the policy of the new Kurti Government to translate into concrete improvements, but hope, unfortunately, is thinner than desire. “We have many things that need to be fixed, but I think one of the priorities should be health insurance, the issue of pensions, activating Trepça, giving young people the opportunity to stay here, and not seeing leaving as a way out,” says Albulena Billalli from Pristina. “Employment first, creating more jobs for young people, because we have a stagnation in terms of employment,” says Shqipe Klinaku.
Jeremije Aksentijevic from North Mitrovica says the new government should take more care of the elderly population, which “barely makes it to the end of the month”. “We all have Kosovo documents, ID cards, passports, everything…”, he says. In the most optimistic scenario, the Kurti 3 government’s mandate lasts until 2030, when several neighboring countries may have joined the EU – at least according to Brussels’ signals for Albania and Montenegro. Kosovo remains the only one in the Western Balkans without EU candidate status, even though Kurti describes the country as “the most democratic in the Region”, with a passport “stronger than ever”. For experts like Lulzim Peci, this is not enough – they warn that without close coordination with international partners, Kosovo risks remaining isolated – a dangerous consequence in an unstable international scene. (RFE)