H.E. Mr. Lirim Greiçevci:

I thank the Chairman and committee members. It is a great honour to appear before the committee on this special day - Europe Day. Every year, 9 May is a public holiday in Kosovo. It is a day off and, technically, it should have applied to me as well but I am happy to be here. Kosovo's parliament, shortly after the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008, decreed that 9 May should be a public holiday to show Kosovo's clear EU aspiration. On this day, many public events take place in Kosovo such as concerts, lectures, town hall meetings and so on to explain how the EU works and what the EU stands for. Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe and this year we are marking the tenth anniversary of our independence. We are enormously grateful to the people of Ireland for showing so much generosity and friendship to Kosovo. I was touched by the Chairman's story. I have heard many similar stories from those who were transported from the refugee camps in Albania and Macedonia at the time to this great country. I thank him very much.

The Kosovan people are among the most pro-EU in the western Balkans and our strategic goal is to join the EU and NATO. For us in the western Balkans, and most notably in Kosovo, the EU is crucial to our present and our future, primarily as a catalyst of reform of democracy, governance and the rule of law and of economic growth but perhaps, more important, as a guarantor of peace, stability, good neighbourly relations and reconciliation. The EU is not merely a trading bloc; it is at the core of all peace agreements in our region, starting from the Dayton peace accord for Bosnia, the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo, and the Ohrid agreement for Macedonia. We need the EU in many ways but it also needs the western Balkans to ensure all of Europe is free, stable and democratic. We belong in Europe not just geographically, but also politically, culturally and economically. Europe is our home.

Thanks in large part to the EU, the western Balkans has made substantial progress and today is more peaceful, stable and democratic than ever before. However, progress remains fragile and many unresolved issues loom large. In that regard, we welcome the publication of the draft western Balkans strategy by the Commission in February 2018 in which the EU perspective on all six western Balkan countries was ensured, including for Kosovo. We fully understand that the EU accession process is merit-based but as is emphasised in the strategy, the Union is more than a technical process. It is a generational choice based on fundamental values. The EU is the biggest investor and trading partner in our region. Western Balkans' leaders, government officials, civil servants and members of civil society interact with one another regularly in EU fora and EU-backed regional initiatives. We are looking forward to the next EU-western Balkans summit in Sofia on 17 May, which will be followed by a London summit in July as part of the Berlin process. Important initiatives are on the agenda such as interconnectivity, road and railway infrastructure linking our countries, digital economy and society, youth, security and so-called legacy issues, which are the unresolved political issues in the region to do with good neighbourly relations, reconciliation and mutual recognition. In that regard, we welcome the recent announcement by the Commission to open accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia. Kosovo supports the EU integration of all our neighbours because we all stand to benefit from a region anchored in European standards and values.

Kosovo has benefitted immensely from EU assistance. We host the largest ESDP rule of law commission, EULEX, in Kosovo, and the first contractual relations between Kosovo and the Union in the form of a stabilisation and association agreement entered into force in April 2016. That is an important step towards candidate status. Kosovo's relations with the EU, however, have an added complication due to a lack of recognition by five member states - Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus. Kosovo is primarily a European issue and we count on all our European partners to recognise the fact that leaving the country behind or in limbo will not contribute to stability and reconciliation in the region. While we understand the complexities surrounding the decision making in certain member states, we reject any comparison between Kosovo and other cases. Kosovo is a unique case arising from the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia, international intervention and a UN-led process to determine Kosovo's status. The International Court of Justice, which is a UN body, in 2010 ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence was in accordance with international law. While the EU enlargement process is of paramount importance, addressing the underlying unresolved political issues in the region remains key to further progress.

The EU facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which has yielded important results. To date, some 30 agreements have been signed at a technical level, including a first agreement governing the normalisation of relations. The two presidents have met numerous times in Brussels in the presence of the EU High Representative. We strongly welcome the EU position, which is part of the strategy I mentioned, that there needs to be a comprehensive, legally binding normalisation agreement between both countries in order that they can advance on their respective European paths. The implementation of the existing agreements by Serbia is not satisfactory and the EU must do more to ensure what is agreed on the negotiating table is implemented in order that the trust of the public in the process can be maintained. However, none of this would have been possible without the EU leverage, which we must cherish and maintain.

We also welcome the EU's position in the western Balkans enlargement strategy that countries aspiring to join the Union will not be permitted to import any problems or disputes with their neighbours. This must be followed through in our region as freedom of movement of goods and people in the region is still an issue, most notably between Kosovo and Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If the public does not see and feel any meaningful practical benefits from regional integration, there is a risk they will lose faith in the EU integration process also.

Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations are at the heart of the EU and we remain hopeful the EU will keep the momentum in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue so that lasting pace and full recognition can be realised. We support Serbia's European agenda provided it acts in accordance with European values and looks to Brussels for solutions. We must not allow nationalism or any malign foreign influence to disrupt the good results we have achieved together. For Kosovo, the EU has no alternative. We are Europeans and our place is within the European Union. We will continue to implement the EU criteria, abide by EU rules, standards and values, and maintain and seek the best neighbourly relations with all our neighbours. The EU and all member states, however, should also heed Kosovo's call and allow it to move forward. Our region of the western Balkans will only be fully at peace and stable if it is firmly grounded in its natural habitat of the European family of nations.