Kosovo needs EU candidate status, rapporteur says

Kosovo should be given EU candidate status so it can move forward on its path to membership, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo has said.

Riho Terras told MEPs in Strasbourg that support for joining the EU remains strong in Kosovo.

But he said the country’s politics had been slowed by repeated elections and institutions still faced serious tests.

Terras pointed to concerns over rule of law, media freedom and EU measures against Kosovo.

He also said the long-stalled Kosovo-Serbia dialogue remained one of the biggest barriers to progress.