European Central: Kosovo's Elections Can Bring Future Union With Albania
SEAN GLADWELL
Vetëvendosje (Self-determination) claimed victory in Kosovo's recent parliamentary election with just under 48 percent of the vote. This is almost double the votes that the political party received just two years ago in the previous election. Albin Kurti, leader of Vetëvendosje made it clear he supported a political union with Albania. While Vetëvendosje remains hopeful for working to make the union a reality, they still have several hurdles. The first being the 61 percent threshold they did not meet to govern alone, requiring them to form a coalition government with other political parties.
For a country struggling to gain official recognition of independence from Serbia, the idea of forming a union with Albania may seem confusing. A union with Albania would secure more rights for Kosovars abroad. Kosovars would be able to travel on Albanian passports, trade internationally on terms Albania already negotiated, and compete internationally in sports competitions. The idea of a union enjoys widespread support among Albanians and Kosovars as the majority of Kosovars are ethnic Albanians. 64% of Kosovars and 75% of Albanians supported a union in a poll conducted in 2019. The majority of Kosovars also speak Gheg Albanian, one of the two major Albanian dialects.
Jusuf Thaçi, now considered a Kosovo expert besides being a former prime minister, thinks that it is unlikely Vetëvendosje will prioritize unifying with Albania. Kosovo has several other important issues, which Vetëvendosje campaigned on and were brought up in Kurti’s victory speech. Vetëvendosje will face the challenge of battling corruption in Kosovo and the economic woes Kosovars face due to the pandemic. Supporters of the party also feel that the time since Kosovo claimed independence in 2008 has been wasted.
Why Serbia Does Not Want To Let Go
In order to understand why it is difficult for Kosovo to fully gain independence, it is important to understand why Serbia is trying to hold onto Kosovo. Part of Serbia’s unwillingness to let Kosovo go is because Kosovo is considered to be the cradle of Serbian Society once Serbia gained control of the area in the 12th century. Despite being defeated, The Battle at Kosovo Polje was a proud point in history for Serbians. They fought to hold off the invasion from the Turks as the Ottoman Empire moved further north into Europe. Still, the Ottoman Empire would win this battle and rule over Kosovo for over 500 years, until Serbia takes back control of Kosovo in 1912. While ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Albanians became the main ethnic group in Kosovo.
Serbia remains unwilling to accept the independence of Kosovo despite the European Union trying to entice the succession of Kosovo in exchange for membership in the European Union. The European Union has been strict with not accepting members with ongoing territorial disputes after the issues that have arisen in Cyprus. Former President Trump arranged a secret meeting with the then Prime Minister of Kosovo and President Vučić of Serbia. Both agreed on Kosovo’s independence on the condition that Kosovo cedes a Serbian enclave in the northern part of the country. Thaçi agreed to this as Kosovo did not have full control of the enclave. Thaçi also realized that having independence recognized by Serbia would allow him to seek membership from NATO, the United Nations, and the European Union. The problem for both leaders was that when this was proposed to the public, they rejected it. Kosovar citizens and politicians both refused to accept the idea of losing territory after the horrors committed by Serbia in the war against Kosovars who were ethnic Albanians. Kosovars need to keep in mind that if they ever aspire to become part of the European Union, they may need to compromise with Serbia. This is due to the European Union requiring a unanimous vote to admit new member states. If Serbia becomes a member state first, Serbia may try to make Kosovo make concessions. While Kurti does not want to have a dialogue with Serbia and claims Kosovars do not prioritize this as the main issue, he risks Kosovo suffering consequences from this in the long-term.
Albania’s Point Of View
The General Secretary of Albania's ruling Socialist party, Taulant Balla stated that both countries need to work towards membership in the European Union, then can discuss a union. This is most likely due to Albanian political leaders not wanting to jeopardize Albania’s membership in the European Union. Albania and North Macedonia are the next two countries in line to accede into the European Union, but the process is momentarily paused because France vetoed starting membership talks. The problem with this with Kosovo is until Serbia recognizes Kosovo as independent, Kosovo cannot become an official candidate country of the European Union.
In 2017 after Albania had its parliamentary election, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated a political union with Kosovo cannot be ruled out if the prospects of European Union membership for Albania start to fade. Rama did not want to risk becoming a member state due to a union with Kosovo. This is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. France vetoed the start of membership talks with Albania and North Macedonia over a year ago, and now Bulgaria has blocked North Macedonia’s accession talks over concerns of the name of the Macedonian language. Even though Bulgaria approved of Albania, blocking North Macedonia becomes an issue for Albania as the European Union prefers to admit several new countries at a time rather than individually. If Albania becomes frustrated with the European Union not allowing them to begin accession talks, it may seek to unite with Kosovo outside the European Union if it cannot unite with Kosovo from within. Regardless of what happens, this is one of the many problems that plague the Balkans.
