Kosovo's EU integration drive prompts US and French pressure on Serbia
U.S. Representative Joe Wilson said Serbia must end its reliance on Russian energy, distance itself from Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, and fully align with Western institutions. He warned that Serbia’s continued threats toward Kosovo violate the latter’s sovereignty and called for the 2027 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to be moved from Belgrade to the United States.
French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad, speaking in Pristina alongside Kosovo’s foreign minister Glauk Konjufca, pledged that France will work to speed Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe. Haddad said France backs Kosovo’s broader integration into European bodies and will pursue the process “as quickly as possible,” after a missed deadline in 2024 that delayed the submission of a draft statute for the Association of Serb‑majority municipalities.
Both officials linked Serbia’s hostile posture with its ties to Russia, China and Iran, and framed Kosovo’s further integration into European institutions as a strategic objective for regional stability.
Entities: Association of Businesses of Kosovo · Benjamin Haddad · Council of Europe · Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals (KPMM) · Joe Wilson · Kosovo · Kosovo Builders Association · Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure · Republic of Kosovo · Serbia
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Haddad’s remarks were made during a joint conference in Pristina with Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca. (Benjamin Haddad)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Haddad said France supports Kosovo’s integration into international organisations, including the Council of Europe. (Benjamin Haddad)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Wilson suggested the 2027 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting should be moved from Belgrade to the United States. (Joe Wilson)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Wilson cited Serbia’s close ties with Russia, China and Iran as a concern for regional stability. (Joe Wilson)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] French Minister Benjamin Haddad announced France will work to accelerate Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe. (Benjamin Haddad)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] U.S. Representative Joe Wilson urged Serbia to end its dependence on Russian energy and align with Western institutions. (Joe Wilson)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Wilson warned that Serbia must stop threats against Kosovo and support Kosovo’s independence. (Joe Wilson)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Kosovo missed a 2024 deadline to submit a draft statute for the Association of Serb‑majority municipalities to the Constitutional Court, delaying its Council of Europe membership prospects. (Kosovo government)