In a post on social media on the occasion of Europe Day, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, congratulated Europe Day with a message in which he emphasized the historical importance of the European project and the necessity of integrating the Western Balkan countries into the European Union.
Kurti recalled that the European Union was built after World War II on the justice of the Nuremberg trials and on responsibility towards the victims of war.
According to Kurti, Kosovo is today the most developed democracy and the fastest growing economy in the region. He said that after visa liberalization and applying for EU membership, the next mandate will aim to obtain candidate status and open negotiations with the EU.
Post:
"Europe will not be made immediately or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements, which first create a de facto solidarity."
With these words, Robert Schuman launched the greatest peace project our continent has ever known.
The European Union was born on the ruins of World War II. Within three decades, Europe had experienced two devastating wars, and the need for a lasting peace had become existential.
But peace was not built on oblivion. It was built on the justice of the Nuremberg trials and on responsibility towards the victims of war. In other words, on a just peace.
Justice and responsibility were followed by a vision of cooperation. The key to the peace that Europe has enjoyed for nearly eight decades was the creation of common institutions that transformed historical rivals into partners. Thus was born the European Coal and Steel Community, and from 1951 until today, Europe has been built step by step, exactly as Schuman had foreseen.
Meanwhile, Kosovo lived the twentieth century differently. In addition to two world wars and the terrible Balkan wars, we also experienced the Serbian genocide at its beginning and end. For us, the European project remained an unfinished promise of peace until the end of the century.
Precisely for this reason, the membership of the Western Balkan countries that want to join the European Union is not simply a matter of prosperity and well-being. It is a necessity to ensure lasting peace in Europe.
Kosovo today is the most developed democracy and the economy with the highest average growth in the region.
The membership application and visa liberalization were historic steps of the last mandate.
The coming mandate will be about candidate status, the opening of negotiations, and the advancement that Kosovo has long deserved.
Happy Europe Day!
