Kosovo PM Faces Uphill Battle on Brussels Trip

Kosovo's Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has promised to deliver visa liberalisation and the establishment of a Kosovo army by March ahead of a series of informal meetings with other regional leaders in Brussels on Monday.

"There will be bilateral meetings between [EU foreign policy chief, Fredirca] Mogherini and each of the leaders, and bilateral meetings between the western Balkans' leaders will also take place…informal meetings," the head of Haradinaj's information office, Halil Matoshi, told BIRN.

Before leaving for Brussels, Haradinaj told public broadcaster RTK that Kosovo will enjoy visa-free European travel and be free to found a national army by March.

"I cannot say whether it will happen precisely in March or one month earlier," Haradinaj said.

The European Commission would not give BIRN comment on this timeframe, but made clear the criteria Kosovo must fulfil to complete the visa liberalisation process.

"The Commission looks forward to the fulfilment of the outstanding benchmarks concerning a track record of convictions in high-level organised crime and corruption cases as well as ratification of the border agreement with Montenegro. This must be a continuous process," the Commission said in a statement.

As for the formation of a Kosovo army, EU spokesperson Maja Kocijancic told BIRN that the EU is following the matter closely, but would not comment on Haradinaj's deadline.

"The EU shares the views of NATO and the US on the matter.  This transformation should be done through an inclusive and multi-ethnic process thus ensuring all communities in Kosovo have an equal stake," Kocijancic told BIRN.

Jehona Lushtaku, a lecturer in Political Sciences at the University of Pristina, told BIRN that Haradinaj's...