As tensions rise again in Kosovo after the killing of a Serbian politician in the North, the country's minister in charge of EU affairs, Vlora Çitaku, called on the EU to be more “responsive” towards her newly-formed state.
As the European Parliament was voting resolutions on Serbia and Kosovo yesterday (16 January), the Kosovar EU affairs minister called for accelerating her country’s integration with the EU.
Kosovo, which gained its independence from Serbia six years ago, is the region's only country whose citizens cannot travel freely in the EU's borderless zone, the Schengen area.
The country is lagging behind other Balkan states on EU integration issues, both for domestic reasons and because its complicated international status raises political concerns in countries such as Spain, which fears that recognising the former Serbian province might encourage secessionist movements at home.
