{"id":101877,"date":"2024-05-29T13:49:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T11:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/?p=101877"},"modified":"2024-06-05T15:27:42","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T13:27:42","slug":"why-do-the-2024-eu-elections-matter-for-the-balkans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/why-do-the-2024-eu-elections-matter-for-the-balkans\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do the 2024 EU elections matter for the Balkans?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"101877\" class=\"elementor elementor-101877 elementor-101809\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-69d1a8f elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"69d1a8f\" data-element_type=\"section\" 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                     <span class=\"wpml-ls-native icl_lang_sel_native\" lang=\"sq\">SHQ<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"icl-sr wpml-ls-slot-shortcode_actions wpml-ls-item wpml-ls-item-sr wpml-ls-last-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/sr\/\" class=\"wpml-ls-link\" target=\"_blank\">\n                            <span class=\"wpml-ls-native icl_lang_sel_native\" lang=\"sr\">B\/C\/S<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-58e3ab7 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"58e3ab7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c03e7e5\" data-id=\"c03e7e5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a1c598 elementor-fixed elementor-widget elementor-widget-progress-tracker\" data-id=\"5a1c598\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;direction&quot;:&quot;ltr&quot;,&quot;_position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;horizontal&quot;,&quot;relative_to&quot;:&quot;entire_page&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"progress-tracker.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-scrolling-tracker 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elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1adf0e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1965\" height=\"1167\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-101997\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg.jpg 1965w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg-1024x608.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg-768x456.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg-1536x912.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Feature-EU-parlament-jpg-326x194.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1965px) 100vw, 1965px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-52b2a12 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"52b2a12\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-39d5fb6\" data-id=\"39d5fb6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf573f4 elementor-align-center elementor-mobile-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"cf573f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-xs\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/in-depth\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">IN-DEPTH<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-71bcbec elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"71bcbec\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6a7d398\" data-id=\"6a7d398\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e47de01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e47de01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Why do the 2024 EU elections matter for the Balkans?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b075147 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b075147\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Countries in the region will be impacted, even if their citizens don\u2019t have a vote.  \n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da3c3f1 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"da3c3f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3126aeb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3126aeb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/nicholas-kulawiak\/\" style=\"border-bottom: 1.3px solid yellow;\" target=\"_blank\">Nicholas Kulawiak <\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/aulonek\/\" style=\"border-bottom: 1.3px solid yellow;\" target=\"_blank\"> Aulon\u00eb Kadriu <\/a>  | May 29, 2024<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae7bea8 elementor-shape-square e-grid-align-left elementor-grid-0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-social-icons\" data-id=\"ae7bea8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"social-icons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-social-icons-wrapper elementor-grid\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-facebook elementor-repeater-item-5e387e1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Kosovo2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Facebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-facebook\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-twitter elementor-repeater-item-7ae3a81\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kosovo2point0\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Twitter<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-icon elementor-social-icon elementor-social-icon-instagram elementor-repeater-item-8daffd8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kosovo2point0\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Instagram<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-instagram\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f93026c elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"f93026c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1125278 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1125278\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-317ca15\" data-id=\"317ca15\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3978de elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d3978de\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Citizens of European Union (EU) member states will head to the polls in June 2024 to vote for who will represent them in the European Parliament (EP). With nearly 400 million eligible voters, EP elections are the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/25\/eu-elections-2019-country-by-country-guide-on-what-to-look-out-for\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">second largest<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> democratic elections in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected to represent constituents in the 27 EU states. Despite this popular sovereignty, voters across the EU seem to have become increasingly disconnected from the EP. Voter turnout has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/election-results-2019\/en\/turnout\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consistently fallen<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after the initial elections in 1979, which had an overall turnout of around 62%. The 2019 elections \u2014 in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/news\/en\/press-room\/20191029IPR65301\/final-turnout-data-for-2019-european-elections-announced\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which just<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over 50% of eligible voters voted \u2014 were the first since 1994 in which over half of eligible voters participated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4a73f63 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4a73f63\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9b205ca\" data-id=\"9b205ca\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a79939 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1a79939\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><strong>Disinformation<\/strong><\/h4><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actors seeking to diminish trust in institutions by delegitimizing the results and\/or discouraging voting are waging <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/disinformation\/news\/disinformation-campaigns-likely-to-undermine-eu-elections-experts-say\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disinformation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> campaigns on social media. The European Commission (EC) is <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europe-wields-new-tech-law-protect-eu-election\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pushing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Big Tech firms to bolster their efforts to fight disinformation and comply with the <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/priorities-2019-2024\/europe-fit-digital-age\/digital-services-act_en\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital Services Act <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(DSA). The DSA is a 2022 EU regulation on online intermediaries and platforms, including social media. Its main goal is <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/priorities-2019-2024\/europe-fit-digital-age\/digital-services-act_en\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preventing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> disinformation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, content moderation is particularly lacking in some of the bloc\u2019s lesser spoken languages, as social media companies <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalwitness.org\/en\/campaigns\/digital-threats\/how-big-tech-platforms-are-neglecting-their-non-english-language-users\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disproportionately<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> invest in English-language content moderation. Additionally, recent reports have detailed Russian <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-68797624\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">influence operations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> targeting MEPs, offering to pay them for pro-Russia statements ahead of the election.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d9c4cab\" data-id=\"d9c4cab\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8f8c6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a8f8c6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EU aims to match or top this turnout in 2024. To do so, EU officials have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/taylor-swift-eu-parliament-election-youth-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appealed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to pop stars such as Taylor Swift \u2014 who as far as K2.0 can discern is not an eligible voter in any EU country \u2014 to help convince <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/09\/22\/1201183160\/taylor-swift-instagram-voter-registration\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">young people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that voting is a worthwhile endeavor.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connecting young people with the EP has been a priority for several individual member states as well. While most member states require voters to be 18 years old, Greece is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/ATAG\/2023\/749767\/EPRS_ATA(2023)749767_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">allowing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 17-year-olds to vote and Austria, Belgium, Germany and Malta all have lowered the age to 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond electoral results, turnout itself is an important indicator of where EU politics stand and whether voters see the EP as responsive to their concerns. High turnout would indicate that the EP is seen as a capable and important institution that can better the lives of the citizens it represents; low turnout would signify the opposite. Turnout could also be influenced by social media, a space that various actors seek to leverage for pushing forward specific agendas or undermine the election\u2019s legitimacy. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5737f2e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5737f2e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4d87075\" data-id=\"4d87075\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4674d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a4674d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Seats in the EP are distributed on the basis of population. The larger the population in a given EU member state, the more seats that state gets. Each EU member individually\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/elections.europa.eu\/en\/how-elections-work\/\" target=\"_blank\">organizes<\/a>\u00a0its EP elections over a four day period \u2014 this election cycle, June 6-9, 2024 \u2014 and candidates nominated by national parties compete for seats.\u00a0<\/p><p>The number of MEPs a party receives is proportional to the number of votes that party wins. Once the MEPs are seated, most national parties join transnational groups with parties from other countries with whom they share common political goals and ideological roots.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across the ideological spectrum, larger and ruling parties in EU members typically garner <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gu.se\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-09\/Different%20Elections%20FS7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">less<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> votes in EP elections than in national elections, in contrast to smaller or insurgent parties. This pattern indicates that voters tend to use EP elections to express dissatisfaction with their current domestic governments, perhaps to punish them for failed or unpopular policies. Part of why this is possible is that voters seem to perceive EP elections as less consequential than national or local elections and thus are more <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gu.se\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-09\/Different%20Elections%20FS7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comfortable<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> voting for parties they would not vote for in a national political context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cda9904\" data-id=\"cda9904\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-22e9789 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"22e9789\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>EP responsibilities<br \/><br \/><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP has three central areas of responsibility: budgetary, legislative and supervisory.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Per the 2009 <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/factsheets\/en\/sheet\/5\/the-treaty-of-lisbon#:~:text=The%20Treaty%20of%20Lisbon%20formally,Council%20has%20no%20legislative%20functions.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treaty of Lisbon<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the EP <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/about-parliament\/en\/powers-and-procedures\/budgetary-powers\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shares<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> responsibility for the entire EU budget with the Council of the European Union, adding a component of democratic oversight to the process of allocating EU funds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the legislative front, as defined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, the EP and the Council codecide on adopting new legislation. However, such codecision is for ordinary legislative procedures, whereas on special legislative procedures, the EP has a consultative role.\u00a0 The EP plays an important role in the EU\u2019s relationships with non-EU members, formally deciding on international agreements and enlargement questions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP\u2019s supervisory role can be seen in its pursuit of tasks like electing the EC president, approving and dismissing the EC and applying democratic scrutiny across all EU institutions.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-16ca619 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"16ca619\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a3e5029\" data-id=\"a3e5029\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa28169 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fa28169\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP is a key institution in the broader European political landscape. The elections\u2019 outcome determines which groups set the agenda and define the intellectual terms on which legislation is debated and passed. This is particularly important when the main groups competing with one another have such deeply divergent political visions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the immediate context of the 2024 elections, issues such as the climate crisis, the moral and financial responsibility of immigration to the bloc and the future of EU enlargement drive significant debate.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K2.0 asks: how does any of this matter for Kosovo and the broader Western Balkan region? We examine three main policy areas in which what happens at the EP level matters: migration policy, EU enlargement and climate crisis mitigation. To understand these things, it is first important to contextualize the key players in the EP.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-940b941 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"940b941\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9ca2b0d\" data-id=\"9ca2b0d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ff6c86 elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"3ff6c86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;the main parliamentary groups?&quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;circle&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">What are <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">the main parliamentary groups?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a5a3f2a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a5a3f2a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6018b41\" data-id=\"6018b41\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5528dd2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5528dd2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EP mainly consists of seven political <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/about-parliament\/en\/organisation-and-rules\/organisation\/political-groups\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">groups<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with different ideological backgrounds. Groups are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/news\/en\/faq\/14\/what-are-political-groups-and-how-are-they-formed\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">funded<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the EP budget and have access to committee seats, incentivizing individual parties to join together around common political objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The European People\u2019s Party (EPP) has been the largest group in the EP since 1999 and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eppgroup.eu\/who-we-are\/our-members\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">counts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> parties such as Germany\u2019s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), to which Angela Merkel belonged, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk\u2019s Civic Platform (PO) as members. The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is also an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epp.eu\/parties-and-partners\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">observer member party<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Recent European Commission (EC) presidents, including the current one, Ursula von der Leyen, have come from the EPP. The EC president, who heads the EU\u2019s executive branch, is voted on by the EP and typically comes from the EP\u2019s largest group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EPP <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/epp-backs-ursula-von-der-leyen-remain-commission-president-2029\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">endorsed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> von der Leyen\u2019s reelection bid in early March 2024. Even though the EPP is projected to lose seats, it is still very likely that it will still maintain its status as the largest group. This means that von der Leyen is likely to secure another five year term as EC president, despite the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/second-term-not-guaranteed-eu-commission-president-ursula-von-der-leyen\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> her reelection campaign has faced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, EPP members \u2014 von der Leyen and EP President Roberta Metsola \u2014 hold two of the top four EU institutional jobs, with the other two \u2014 President of the European Council and EU High Representative for\u00a0 Foreign and Security Policy \u2014 going to coalition partners Renew Europe (RE) and Progressive Alliance Socialists and Democrats (S&amp;D).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The S&amp;D is one of the main challengers to the EPP. The outgoing High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell is an S&amp;D member. Spain\u2019s Socialist Party and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u2019s Socialist Democratic Party (SDP) are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu\/who-we-are\/our-members\/meps\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">key members<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while Kosovo\u2019s current ruling party Vet\u00ebvendosje (VV) is affiliated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barring unexpected events, the EPP and S&amp;D should comfortably remain the two largest parties in the EP, with the EPP <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/europe-poll-of-polls\/european-parliament-election\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anticipated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to win roughly a quarter of the seats and S&amp;D almost 20%. Historically, the EP has been dominated by a grand coalition of the EPP and S&amp;D, reflecting a general centrist and institutional consensus. The 2024 election cycle may disrupt this, as the EPP and more nationalist and populist parties to its right are expected to make noticeable gains and lead to a more conservative coalition atop the EP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The race for third place is hotly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/european-election-2024-polls-right-wing-big-gains\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contested<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between three different groups. Of these, RE, a liberal grouping most associated with French President Emmanuel Macron, was the largest during the 2019-2024 EP term. RE <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reneweuropegroup.eu\/who-we-are\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mainly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consists of the pan-European Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, with whom the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is affiliated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RE risks being surpassed by two different groups to the EPP\u2019s right. The first of these is the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a group of eurosceptic right-wing parties like Law and Justice (PiS) in Poland and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni\u2019s Brothers of Italy. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ECR\u2019s conservative and anti-liberal democratic foundation puts it solidly to the right of the EPP. The second of these groups is Identity and Democracy (ID), a far-right group that has, at least up to the end of this term, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/meps\/en\/search\/advanced?name=&amp;euPoliticalGroupBodyRefNum=5588&amp;countryCode=&amp;bodyType=ALL\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">counted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Marine Le Pen\u2019s National Rally in France as members. ID represents even further extreme xenophobic and anti-institutional views.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On May 18, 2024, AfD\u2019s lead candidate <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.repubblica.it\/esteri\/2024\/05\/17\/news\/candidato_elezioni_europee_afd_maximilian_krah_estrema_destra-423009349\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an Italian newspaper that he didn\u2019t see all former members of the SS \u2014 the Nazi guard that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopedia.ushmm.org\/content\/en\/article\/ss-police-state\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oversaw<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> policing, intelligence and concentration camp administration \u2014 as criminals, which prompted Le Pen to say that National Rally <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/far-right-national-rally-marine-le-pen-says-it-will-cut-ties-with-german-afd-after-recent-statements\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will not<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sit with AfD in the EP going forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On May 23, 2024, AfD was officially expelled from ID. Subsequently, Le Pen has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/article\/2024\/may\/27\/marine-le-pen-giorgia-meloni-nationalist-alliance-european-parliament\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sought<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to build a new hard-right group with Meloni. The Italian prime minister has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/far-right-super-group-european-parliament-giorgia-meloni-marine-le-pen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emerged<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a crucial figure in these elections, as previously, von der Leyen and the EPP have made <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2024\/apr\/11\/putin-far-right-europe-ukraine-eu-slovakia-russian\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overtures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Italian Prime Minister Meloni\u2019s Brothers of Italy about potentially leaving ECR for the EPP. At time of publication, it is an open question of whether ID will exist in its current form \u2014 minus AfD \u2014 in the next term, or whether it will splinter apart if National Rally and other parties that voted to expel AfD from ID are able to join ECR or a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/marine-le-pen-giorgia-meloni-italy-france-eu-election-far-right-block-european-parliament\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> right and far-right group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such events, at a time in which the German court system has also officially ruled that AfD is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-69003733\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">suspected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of extremism, are a useful opportunity for far-right ID parties such as National Rally and Denmark\u2019s Danish People\u2019s Party to differentiate themselves from AfD by portraying themselves as relatively less extreme \u2014 defending actual Nazis seems to be regarded as a losing electoral strategy. Whether voters will take this bold moral stance of agreeing that SS members were indeed criminals as a sign that National Rally and others are not as far to the right as their critics claim will remain to be seen.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The remaining smaller groups are the Greens\/European Free Alliance (Greens\/EFA), the Left in the European Parliament (GUE\/NGL) and the Non-Inscrits (NI), consisting of parties that are not affiliated with any group.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Various <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/publication\/a-sharp-right-turn-a-forecast-for-the-2024-european-parliament-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">polls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project a significant increase in the number of seats held by right-wing and far-right MEPs. The question is just how far to the right the EP will swing. This will <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ip-quarterly.com\/en\/center-holds-at-what-cost\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shape<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the EPP\u2019s decisions when building a ruling coalition \u2014 will a combination of the EPP, S&amp;D and RE be enough for a majority once again? Or will large gains by ECR and ID force the EPP to change its calculus?<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0074a0d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0074a0d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-393c720\" data-id=\"393c720\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a420193 elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"a420193\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;potential coalitions&quot;,&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;underline&quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">What are the  <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">potential coalitions<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">that could emerge from the elections? <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-dacc611 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"dacc611\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b9025f2\" data-id=\"b9025f2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba8581b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ba8581b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before AfD was expelled from ID, the EPP, ECR and ID could theoretically form a center-right to far-right governing coalition in which the EPP\u2019s centrist and institutionalist instincts would be challenged by more radical right-wing members seeking a more substantial departure from the European policy status quo.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The current reshuffling prompted by ID dumping AfD raises the possibility of an entirely new group emerging, consisting of ECR plus National Rally and even Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fidesz party. Such a group could be the second largest in the EP, giving it significant sway and putting the onus on the other groups to work together to avoid having far right MEPs in the ruling coalition. Nonetheless, major <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/far-right-super-group-european-parliament-giorgia-meloni-marine-le-pen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">obstacles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> often shaped by domestic political considerations remain present.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/european-election-2024-polls-right-wing-big-gains\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most likely<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the traditional centrist coalition of the EPP, S&amp;D and RE will gather enough votes to maintain its majority. However, the shifting trends and anticipated increase in right and far-right MEPs may force the EPP to change its calculus and partner with ECR. Such a foundation for a coalition \u2014 EPP, ECR and RE, for instance \u2014 could lead to the adoption and potential <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intereconomics.eu\/contents\/year\/2024\/number\/2\/article\/the-far-right-and-the-2024-european-elections.html#footnote-001\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">normalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of more anti-immigration and national identity-focused policies.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e6cce81 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e6cce81\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ef80a0b\" data-id=\"ef80a0b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6007dad elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6007dad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-parliament\" data-src=\"visualisation\/18094421\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6945d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c6945d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">European Parliament is depicted above. Polls project that the 2024 elections will result in an increase in seats for right and far-right parties, though the exact composition of the groups after the election remains to be seen.  <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9271f94 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9271f94\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c688060\" data-id=\"c688060\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5066300 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5066300\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even before AfD\u2019s expulsion from ID, ECR, for its part, was seen as a potential <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/sweden-democrats-threaten-to-quit-right-wing-eu-group-erc-if-orban-joins\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">landing spot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for Fidesz, which has been non-affiliated for the past three years and was also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/elections\/news\/far-right-id-group-invites-hungarys-fidesz-to-join-their-ranks\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">invited<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to join ID. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These political calculations may change the exact group sizes, but will not alter the fundamental fact of a significant increase in right, hard-right, and far-wing MEPs.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, in the 2019-2024 EP term, the 11 MEPs <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/list\/the-mep-unawards-2024\/biggest-rebel\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most likely<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to vote against their own groups were all in ID or ECR. This further calls into question the far right\u2019s ability to maintain party discipline and be a reliable and coherent governing unit.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such examples serve as reminders that even a rightward shift \u2014 or a shift in any particular political direction \u2014 does not mean that politics fall away and all group members have the same priorities. This is particularly clear when it comes to enlargement. <\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2965517\" data-id=\"2965517\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a7a801b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a7a801b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EPP must grapple with the challenge of a potential far-right increase in the EP. Yet in doing so, it runs the risk of further accommodating parties and <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/jacobin.com\/2024\/03\/european-parliament-elections-center-right-far-right\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legitimizing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> policy objectives at the EU level that would previously have been considered extreme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migration policy is a key example of this dynamic. The EP <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2024\/04\/10\/eu-migration-deal-parliament-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">passed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a migration reform bill in April 2024 aiming to spread responsibility for processing \u201cirregular arrivals\u201d across all EU members and hastening the deportation process for people whose asylum applications are rejected. When the reform passed, EP President Roberta Metsola, an EPP member, <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/04\/10\/european-parliament-narrowly-endorses-eu-migration-reform-moving-it-closer-to-the-finish-l\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">declared<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that \u201cWe have listened, we have acted and we have delivered on one of the main concerns of people across Europe,\u201d seeking to <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/article\/significance-migration-ahead-2024-ep-elections\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diffuse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the far-right critique of mainstream political parties being out of touch with regular people\u2019s sentiments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c59640 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c59640\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-98d0907\" data-id=\"98d0907\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60042f0 elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"60042f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;underline&quot;,&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;Kosovo-Serbia dialogue?&quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">What is the EP\u2019s role in the enlargement discussion? What about in the <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">Kosovo-Serbia dialogue?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7d3bbc4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7d3bbc4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bc6e4d4\" data-id=\"bc6e4d4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f933547 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f933547\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP\u2019s relationship with Kosovo and other Western Balkan countries is significantly colored by the lens of potential EU enlargement in the region. The EP\u2019s centrality to the EU budgeting process means that it has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/factsheets\/en\/sheet\/168\/the-western-balkans\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">direct oversight<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over financial allocations to the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), the principal mechanism through which EU candidate and potential candidate countries secure financial assistance for carrying out required reforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP also exercises oversight over financial mechanisms tied to the accession process such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/does-the-eu-growth-plan-provide-anything-new-for-western-balkan-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU Growth Plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which committed 6 billion euros in loans and grants to aid Western Balkan countries\u2019 reform efforts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond applying financial oversight, the EP also plays a role in the technical process through which new members join the EU. The EP <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/factsheets\/en\/sheet\/168\/the-western-balkans\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> every potential accession before an accession treaty can be signed between the potential new member and the existing members, and then ultimately ratified by each individual country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A more right-wing EP\u2019s impact on EU enlargement in the Western Balkans is not immediately clear. This is, in part, because national parties, whose stances are shaped by national political considerations, may have distinctly different views on EU enlargement. For instance, the domestic political environment in the Netherlands is historically <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clingendael.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-11\/PB_FitFor30%2B_rev.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skeptical<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of EU enlargement, leaving Dutch politicians with less political capital to use on enlargement than politicians in other <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/publication\/europeans-open-to-ukraine-joining-the-eu-despite-security-risks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">countries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as Poland or Romania.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orb\u00e1n\u2019s far-right Fidesz party further illustrates this point: Orb\u00e1n has historically been a strong advocate for enlargement, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/balkaninsight.com\/2023\/12\/22\/hungary-pm-calls-ukraines-eu-membership-not-realistic-for-long-long-long-years\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for in Ukraine\u2019s case. Hungary will hold the rotating Council of the European Union presidency for the second half of 2024, and Hungarian Foreign Minister P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schengenvisainfo.com\/news\/hungary-pledges-to-become-the-most-pro-enlargement-eu-presidency-of-all-time\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signaled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that enlargement, particularly in the Western Balkans, will be a priority for the presidency. This builds on Hungary\u2019s previous <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/serbia-should-join-the-eu-before-buffer-zone-ukraine-orban-says\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emphasis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on pushing Serbia\u2019s accession process forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-181dfb3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"181dfb3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8a3f6dd\" data-id=\"8a3f6dd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88520e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"88520e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>While there are individual nuances within the EP groups\u2019 stances on EU enlargement, particularly in the Western Balkans, all groups except for ID express broad support. Foreign policy is a key area in which the right and far right diverge; whereas ECR parties are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ip-quarterly.com\/en\/center-holds-at-what-cost\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">generally<\/a>\u00a0oriented toward Euroatlantic institutions and security architecture and support Ukraine, at least rhetorically, ID parties are more likely tacitly or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/politics\/article\/2024\/03\/01\/putin-s-allies-in-the-european-parliament-rally-around-le-pen-s-party_6576763_5.html\" target=\"_blank\">openly<\/a>\u00a0support Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p><p>This means that in terms of direct impact on the EU accession process, the June 2024 elections are unlikely to sway things particularly strongly; generally, the bulk of MEPs view enlargement positively, with all the usual caveats about conditions needing to be met.\u00a0<\/p><p>It is a similar case with von der Leyen\u2019s tenure as EC president. Von der Leyen has consistently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eumonitor.eu\/9353000\/1\/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp\/vlmmixucl5yj?ctx=vhsidnw5uoik\" target=\"_blank\">called<\/a>\u00a0for \u201ca future where Kosovo and all the Western Balkans are part of the European Union.\u201d Over her various trips to Kosovo, she has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/statement_22_6422\" target=\"_blank\">noted<\/a>\u00a0that Kosovo \u201ccontinues to demonstrate an enormous commitment to the European path,\u201d while insisting that Prishtina formalizes the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities as set out in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/what-happened-in-ohrid\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">Ohrid Agreement<\/a>.<\/p><p>Von der Leyen has also been a consistent voice\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/10\/31\/ursula-von-der-leyens-pledge-for-serbia-make-peace-with-kosovo-and-prosperity-will-follow\" target=\"_blank\">declaring<\/a>\u00a0that \u201c[The EU wants] Serbia to join our union.\u201d On a visit to Belgrade in 2022, she\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/statement_22_6470\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>\u00a0\u201cI know that Serbia&#8217;s future is in the European Union. I know that our European Union is not complete without Serbia,\u201d though always with the caveat that Serbia must normalize relations with Kosovo beforehand.\u00a0<\/p><p>After a time, these statements\u2019 consistency amid the various political contexts in which they were delivered raise questions about how seriously they ultimately should be taken. When von der Leyen speaks\u00a0\u2014 does it matter?\u00a0What does it mean when von der Leyen says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2023\/10\/30\/von-der-leyen-vows-to-bring-western-balkan-and-eu-economies-closer-as-four-day-visit-start\" target=\"_blank\">that<\/a>\u00a0\u201cthere is true momentum\u201d toward EU enlargement in the Western Balkans? Would it be any different under a new EC president?\u00a0<\/p><p>The EC has maintained rhetoric about the Western Balkans belonging to the so-called European family for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/PRES_03_163\" target=\"_blank\">decades<\/a>. 2024 marks two decades since North Macedonia submitted its application, which has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/north-macedonia-and-the-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">blighted<\/a>\u00a0by bilateral issues with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/politics\/news\/bulgaria-says-north-macedonia-risks-eu-accession-over-recent-statements\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgaria<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c3g5rj4y24do\" target=\"_blank\">Greece<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Greece <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/north-macedonia-and-the-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vetoed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> opening E<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ccession talks with North Macedonia due to concerns about the country\u2019s name implying territorial ambitions over northern Greece,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the country eventually agreed to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/countries\/macedonia#:~:text=Macedonia%20and%20Greece%20signed%20the,the%20Republic%20of%20North%20Macedonia.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">change<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> its official name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia. N<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">orth Macedonia was then allowed to open negotiations, but the process was blocked by Bulgaria before it could even start due to historical disputes more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-high-cost-of-eu-membership-for-north-macedonia\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bulgarian domestic politics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than anything else. Albania, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/opening-eu-accession-negotiations-will-not-solve-bosnia-and-herzegovinas-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Montenegro and Serbia also hope to join but face an uncertain path ahead, as does Kosovo,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which officially <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/kosovo-submits-eu-membership-application-2022-12-15\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">handed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in its membership application in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a1ad514\" data-id=\"a1ad514\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-54582af elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"54582af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MTAxODE0LCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvYXJjaGl2ZS5rb3Nvdm90d29wb2ludHplcm8uY29tXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI0XC8wNVwvdGltZWxpbmVfdmVydGljYWwtMi5wbmcifQ%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"4925\" height=\"11638\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-101814\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2.png 4925w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-127x300.png 127w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-433x1024.png 433w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-768x1815.png 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-650x1536.png 650w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-867x2048.png 867w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/timeline_vertical-2-326x770.png 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4925px) 100vw, 4925px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Ilustration: Dina Hajrullahu \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2e85672 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2e85672\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-20e913c\" data-id=\"20e913c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0093e01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0093e01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seems like while the promise of EU expansion fades, citizens of these countries increasingly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcc.int\/pubs\/168\/balkan-barometer-public-opinion-2023\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">question<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the EU&#8217;s willingness to turn its words into concrete progress towards accession. In a recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iri.org\/resources\/western-balkans-regional-poll-february-march-2024-mini\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only 34% of respondents from North Macedonia answered yes in the question \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the European Union serious in its intention to offer membership to Western Balkan countries?\u201d In Serbia, 30% said yes, while that number was 44% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 54% in Albania, 59% in Montenegro and 62% in Kosovo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU membership is theoretically open to any country in Europe that fulfills the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/enlargement-policy\/glossary\/accession-criteria_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copenhagen<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> criteria, but the actual EU enlargement process is often shaped by geopolitical considerations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-199d3ed elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"199d3ed\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-401f4c5\" data-id=\"401f4c5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da21430 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"da21430\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Copenhagen criteria<br \/><br \/><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1993 the Council defined <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/enlargement-policy\/glossary\/accession-criteria_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the following<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> accession criteria that candidate countries must fulfill to become a member state:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">political criteria: stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">economic criteria: a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">administrative and institutional capacity to effectively implement the <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/enlargement-policy\/glossary\/acquis_en\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acquis<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and ability to take on the obligations of membership.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the aforementioned, the EU reserves the right to decide when it is ready to accept the new member.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f6f84cd\" data-id=\"f6f84cd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-216de01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"216de01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 foregrounded Ukraine in the enlargement discussion. Multiple <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/04\/04\/majority-of-eu-voters-in-favour-of-ukraine-joining-the-eu-exclusive-ipsoseuronews-poll-fin\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">polls<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/publication\/europeans-open-to-ukraine-joining-the-eu-despite-security-risks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">indicate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that EU citizens view Ukraine\u2019s candidacy more favorably than that of any other candidate or potential candidate, particularly compared to countries in the Western Balkans. Some in the Western Balkans <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/eu-lacked-momentum-on-balkan-enlargement-says-serbia-europe-minister\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feared<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that Ukraine \u2014 along with Georgia and Moldova \u2014 would overtake Western Balkan countries on the EU\u2019s enlargement priority list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, while Ukraine\u2019s membership case has received significant attention and been framed as a potential electoral issue ahead of the EP elections, it is not clear that the rhetorical focus on Ukraine will translate to a faster accession process. Indeed, being granted candidate status, as the situation with the Western Balkan countries indicates, is no guarantee that accession is around the corner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kosovo is a potential candidate countr<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">y. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">his means that over half of the nine current candidate countries, plus Kosovo, the only remaining potential candidate, are in the Western Balkans. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7289d92 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7289d92\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6163ffa\" data-id=\"6163ffa\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c0c3bda elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c0c3bda\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because any chance Kosovo and Serbia may have at joining the EU hinges on a normalization of relations, the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue figures strongly in the enlargement context.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP supports the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which is overseen by the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and has been taking place since 2011. The high representative \u2014 Borrell for the past five years \u2014 reports to the EP. The EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Prishtina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues serves under the high representative. This role has been filled by Miroslav Laj\u010dak since April 2020.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Kosovo, the past four years have been tumultuous. The general elections in 2021 produced a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/vetevendosje-set-to-win-landslide-election-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">landslide victory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for Albin Kurti\u2019s VV, once a political movement opposing the negotiations altogether. Since becoming prime minister, Kurti has called for Kosovo to assert itself as an equal player in the dialogue, insisting on the importance of reciprocal measures with Serbia.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kurti started in September 2021 by mandating that Serbian-registered vehicles entering Kosovo pay for temporary license plates, mirroring what Serbia has been doing with Kosovo-registered vehicles entering Serbia since 2011. This led Kosovo Serbs to construct barricades at the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings for several days and prompted the EU to call for a de-escalation of the situation through the dialogue \u2014 a call that has been emblematic of the past four years. After a series of meetings, the car plates issue was resolved through an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kallxo.com\/lajm\/arrihet-marreveshja-per-targat-ne-mes-kosoves-dhe-serbise\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interim agreement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while the situation remained tense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a2f8fc0\" data-id=\"a2f8fc0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46a6364 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46a6364\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><strong>Enlargement<\/strong><\/h4><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>1.<\/strong> The EPP, which calls enlargement \u201cone of the EU\u2019s biggest success stories,\u201d sees Western Balkan integration into the EU as \u201cextremely important.\u201d It views EU enlargement as the \u201cbest guarantee for peace, democracy, and prosperity\u201d in Europe and considers it \u201cimperative as a geostrategic investment.\u201d Meanwhile, S&amp;D\u2019s position is that it \u201cstrongly supports European integration and a European future for the western Balkan countries.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>2.<\/strong> Even the generally eurosceptic ECR group, whose top priority in the Western Balkans is limiting migration and emphasizing \u201csecurity,\u201d sees Western Balkan countries\u2019 EU accession as \u201ca natural process that will unite Europe and make the Union complete.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>3.<\/strong> RE officially favors \u201cenlargement and an enhanced engagement with the Western Balkans countries and their perspective within the European Union according to the enlargement strategy.\u201d This being said, some MEPs from countries such as France, where the electorate has a less favorable view of EU enlargement, join ID as enlargement skeptics.<\/p><p><strong>4.<\/strong> ID\u2019s enlargement skepticism particularly targets T\u00fcrkiye. Moreover, its constituent parties have a history of islamophobic engagement with the Western Balkans and echoing Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s claims that the West is unfairly targeting Serbia.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c8f5c40 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c8f5c40\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-328a06e\" data-id=\"328a06e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d1d7fe5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d1d7fe5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In June 2022, Kosovo\u2019s government <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dukagjini.com\/qeveria-merr-vendim-per-reciprocitet-te-targave-me-serbine\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">began<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a new policy of replacing Serbian-issued identification documents for anyone entering Kosovo with a temporary declaration form \u2014 a procedure Serbia has been applying for Kosovo citizens since 2011. It also ordered that all vehicles with Serbian-issued license plates in Kosovo register with Kosovar plates. This stirred things up in Brussels. After a long meeting between Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 in November 2022, Kurti refused to accept an EU proposal to resolve the issue of license plates and accused Borrell of giving up on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Eventually, the decision was accepted, leaving room for new tensions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was not the only thing going on in November 2022. The suspension of Nenad \u0110uri\u0107, regional director of the Kosovo Police in the north, for refusing to implement the decision on license plates resulted in a mass resignation of Kosovo Serbs from public institutions. This included mayoral roles in North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Leposavi\u0107 and Zve\u010dan. The elections to fill these positions, held on April 23, 2023, were largely boycotted by both Serb candidates and voters. This caused the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-election-with-3-turnout\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overall turnout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be just 3% of all the voters and led to the victory of four candidates from Albanian majority parties. The election\u2019s outcome incited protests in the four municipalities.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this context, Laj\u010dak and Borrell held separate meetings with Vu\u010di\u0107 and Kurti, but made no progress towards a sustainable solution. This prompted criticism by Kosovo\u2019s delegation, with Kurti saying that Laj\u010dak has a clear position against Kosovo. \u201cHere we are dealing with an emissary who has distorted the process,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.evropaelire.org\/a\/kurti-akuzon-lajcakun-pozicionim-kunder-kosoves-\/32597569.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kurti, after a meeting, adding that he would register his displeasure with Italian Prime Minister Meloni, German Chancellor Scholz, French President Macron and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue of forming the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM), which has resurfaced as a frequently debated issue, is another example of a topic discussed in the dialogue remaining stagnant. The EU foresaw the implementation of the ASM within the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/eeas\/belgrade-pristina-dialogue-agreement-path-normalisation-between-kosovo-and-serbia_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agreement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/what-happened-in-ohrid\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> neither Kurti nor Vu\u010di\u0107 signed that agreement, Borrell presented it as approved based on his word alone and framed it as an important step in the dialogue. One year later, the ASM has still not been implemented and remains a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/wireStory\/kosovo-criticizes-council-europe-holding-vote-membership-blames-110340796\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contentious<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/politics\/news\/council-of-europe-kosovos-last-minute-bid-to-appease-germany-falls-flat-in-belgrade-pristina\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issue<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between Kurti, the EU, and key EU states.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lack of progress in the dialogue and the growing perception that the EU is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-consequences-of-appeasing-vucic\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appeasing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Vu\u010di\u0107 and exerting undue pressure on Kosovo to make concessions has led MEPs to question Laj\u010dak\u2019s credibility and the EU\u2019s efficacy in the dialogue. Several MEPs voiced their concerns particularly in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.david-mcallister.de\/david-mcallister-mep-miroslav-lajcak-to-brief-meps-on-the-current-crisis-between-serbia-and-kosovo\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meeting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) on June 22, 2023. The EU had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/balkaninsight.com\/2023\/06\/14\/eu-announces-measures-against-kosovo-over-unrest-in-north\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> measures against Kosovo earlier that month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the AFET <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/multimedia.europarl.europa.eu\/en\/webstreaming\/committee-on-foreign-affairs_20230627-1500-COMMITTEE-AFET\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meeting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, MEP Michael Gahler from the EPP criticized Laj\u010dak for siding with Serbia and not publicly criticizing Vu\u010di\u0107. \u201cKosovo is looking for honest brokers that do not appease the Serb President and pressure the victim,\u201d said Gahler.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, Tonino Picula from S&amp;D listed a set of questions about whether there will be negative measures against Serbia and about Russian <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/russias-influence-balkans#chapter-title-0-4\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">influence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Serbia. Picula&#8217; fellow S&amp;D member, Thijs Reuten, asked for a stronger and moral stance from the EU, calling Vu\u010di\u0107 an autocrat and criticizing EU\u2019s representatives for an unbalanced view. \u201cIt was not even the terrible bothsideism,\u201d said Picula.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RE\u2019s Ilan Kuychyuk expressed additional concern about whether the EU\u2019s approach would have a spillover effect on Kosovo\u2019s citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greens MEP Thomas Waitz also called out the EU&#8217;s approach, saying that the EU made a bad impression defending the perpetrators and attacking the victims of the aggression, something that Waitz saw as undermining the EU\u2019s credibility in the whole region. Another Greens MEP, Romeo Franz, also called for an end to the appeasement of Vu\u010di\u0107, saying that he believes EU mediation has fully failed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MEPs\u2019 criticism of Borrell and Laj\u010dak\u2019s strategy in the dialogue increased after the September 2023 terror <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/an-attack-following-long-standing-tensions-in-the-north\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">attack<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Banjska, in northern Kosovo, in which Kosovo Police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed. S&amp;D, RE, ECR, EPP and the Greens joined together in a resolution that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/doceo\/document\/RC-9-2023-0437_EN.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">condemned<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the attack and labeled its perpetrators \u201cterrorists.\u201d The resolution also called on Serbia to refrain from its repetitive pattern of escalation. Though the resolution was not legally binding, it urged Borrell and Laj\u010dak to be more proactive in facilitating the dialogue. It also called on the EU to update its overall <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-consequences-of-appeasing-vucic\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approach<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Kosovo and Serbia normalization.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In April 2024, Borrell <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/eeas\/eeas-high-representative-josep-borrell-nominated-new-heads-eu-delegations-upcoming-diplomatic_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nominated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Laj\u010dak to become EU ambassador to Switzerland. It is unknown who will replace Laj\u010dak as EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue. Whoever takes the post \u2014 former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koha.net\/en\/arberi\/417032\/lajcak-flet-per-pahorin-si-emisar-i-ardhshem-e-njeh-rajonin\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mentioned<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a potential candidate \u2014 will find the dialogue stagnant and will have significant work to do given the stasis and frustration that Laj\u010dak\u2019s approach of exerting more pressure on Kosovo has brought.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, von der Leyen\u2019s EPP released a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/defence-and-security\/news\/epp-wants-to-cancel-eu-top-diplomat-job-create-dedicated-defence-commissioner-post\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">draft manifesto<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> earlier in 2024, arguing that the next EC should create a separate defense commissioner post and transform the high representative job currently held by Borrell into an \u201cEU foreign minister\u201d who would allow the EU to react to international crises faster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether these crises are expected to arise in the Western Balkans or elsewhere, whoever the EP approves as Borrell\u2019s replacement, along with the new special representative, will have their work cut out for them<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They will have to devise<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a new approach to facilitating the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and ensuring that the EU is seen as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieeurope.eu\/research\/2024\/03\/the-eu-and-the-global-battle-of-narratives?lang=en&amp;center=europe\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">driver<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of reform and positive change in the Western Balkans and beyond, particularly if far-right voices <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/what-the-french-elections-mean-for-the-balkans\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hostile<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Kosovo such as Le Pen\u2019s National Rally gain more prominence at the EP level.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-01ab4f3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"01ab4f3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1cff26a\" data-id=\"1cff26a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c443ee elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"6c443ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;double_underline&quot;,&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;migration policy?&quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">Where does the EP stand on <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">migration policy?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-132cd58 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"132cd58\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fe91eea\" data-id=\"fe91eea\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d16aee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d16aee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migration is a hotly debated political issue across the EU, especially in the period since the unprecedented number of migrant and refugee arrivals in EU countries in 2015-2016. Besides coordinating its internal policy on migration, the EU has increasingly focused on reaching agreements with non-EU countries in the past years.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accordingly, in 2019, the EP adopted a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=CELEX:32019R1896&amp;rid=2\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">regulation<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/eu-border-force-frontex-fabrice-leggeri-gears-up-for-big-expansion\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">broadening<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the EU&#8217;s Border and Coast Guard Agency\u2019s (Frontex) mandate to include cooperation with third countries. Since then, Frontex has grown in financial terms, powers and staff. Frontex has the largest budget of all <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/agencies-network.europa.eu\/index_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU agencies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and that budget has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/973052\/annual-budget-frontex-eu\/#:~:text=In%202023%20the%20annual%20budget,754%20million%20Euros%20in%202021.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> significantly over the past five years. For example, in 2020, Frontex\u2019s budget was 364 million euros, whereas by 2023, it was 854 million euros, an increase of over 130%.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the 2019 regulation, Frontex has signed agreements with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. All these countries are part of the so-called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/why-we-must-show-feminist-solidarity-with-people-on-the-long-road-west\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balkan Route<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of the main migratory routes into the EU.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agreements <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/EN\/legal-content\/summary\/frontex-status-agreements-with-non-eu-countries.html#:~:text=The%20agreements%20allow%20for%20border,of%20the%20teams%20are%20able\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">give<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Frontex executive powers at these countries\u2019 borders with EU countries, allowing for border management teams from Frontex to be deployed to Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. With each of these countries being candidates for EU accession, opening their arms to Frontex may get them closer to the long and arduous path into the EU. Through this <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-fortified-gates-of-the-balkans\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">externalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of its borders, the EU is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/italy-should-not-outsource-migration-management-to-albania\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increasing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the probability of human rights violations on its doorstep.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the elections, Frontex\u2019s presence may grow further. In a draft manifesto ahead of the 2024 elections, the EPP set out the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/european-peoples-party-car-engines-border-guards-climate-security\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">goal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of tripling the number of EU border guards from the current 10,000 \u2014 a number agreed to be reached until 2027 \u2014 to 30,000 in order to process more asylum applications outside the EU and to strike more deals with non-EU countries to keep migrants at bay.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of these ideas have already started materializing in the region. In November 2023, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Prime Minister Meloni signed an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/italy-should-not-outsource-migration-management-to-albania\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agreement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allowing Italy to construct two processing centers that will <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.infomigrants.net\/en\/post\/53739\/italyalbania-deal-only-migrants-rescued-in-noneu-waters-can-be-sent-to-albania#:~:text=A%20draft%20law%20passed%20by,authorities%20in%20non%2DEU%20waters.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accommodate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> migrants brought on board Italian ships in non-EU waters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/giorgia-meloni-europe-donald-trump-ursula-von-der-leyen\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meloni&#8217;s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> antagonism towards <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/why-would-an-albanian-support-giorgia-meloni\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">migrants<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is not new and political opposition and human rights groups in Albania, Italy and beyond <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/international\/20240130-albania-s-controversial-migrant-deal-with-italy-sparks-anger-on-all-sides\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criticized<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the agreement for being \u201cdehumanizing\u201d and illegal under international law. Now that Albania\u2019s Constitutional Court has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/29\/albanias-constitutional-court-rules-that-migration-deal-with-italy-can-go-ahead-if-approve\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ruled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the deal is legal, nothing stands in the way of its implementation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it did not take long for the construction of the centers to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/balkaninsight.com\/2024\/04\/12\/albania-builds-migrant-centre-and-camp-as-criticism-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">start<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Albania, it took the EU eight <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/europes-migration-dilemma\/a-64640135\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">years<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of interinstitutional negotiations to approve its new migration pact in April 2024.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pact consists of 10 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/news\/en\/press-room\/20240408IPR20290\/meps-approve-the-new-migration-and-asylum-pact\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">separate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> legislative texts and emphasizes several key areas, including screening of migrants, collection of biometric data, building of border facilities and \u201ccombined solidarity\u201d among EU countries. EU members will either have to take in asylum seekers or share funding. One of the most contentious issues is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-68779387\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speeding up<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the return of migrants deemed ineligible for asylum by the respective country they apply in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MEPs on the EP\u2019s left and right-wing edges opposed the pact, albeit for different reasons. For those on the left, the pact is insufficient in protecting human rights, whereas from a right-wing perspective, it is not rigorous enough in suppressing migration. This means that the pact was essentially a compromise between the EP\u2019s two largest groups, the EPP and S&amp;D.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pact\u2019s narrow <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/04\/10\/european-parliament-narrowly-endorses-eu-migration-reform-moving-it-closer-to-the-finish-l\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approval<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, made <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/migration\/news\/eus-historic-migration-pact-passes-amidst-divisions-and-far-right-fears\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">possible<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in part by the fact that MEPs who objected to parts of the pact but ultimately wanted it to pass abstained, comes against the backdrop of a significant increase in asylum applications received by the EU. The EU received 1.1 million applications in 2023, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/euaa.europa.eu\/news-events\/eu-received-over-1-million-asylum-applications-2023\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">highest<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> number since 2016 and an 18% increase over 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, it comes at a time when the bloc\u2019s capacity and commitment to ensuring safety, security and protection for migrants is being substantially <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2023\/09\/21\/migration-obsession-killing-eus-commitment-human-rights#:~:text=First%2C%20the%20EU%20has%20been,their%20presence%20on%20European%20soil.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">questioned<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 4,046 migrants <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dtm.iom.int\/europe\/dead-and-missing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">died or went missing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while trying to reach Europe in 2023. 1,100 people died or went missing in the first five months of 2024.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a19e3b5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a19e3b5\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-21c7b1a\" data-id=\"21c7b1a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6381ca4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6381ca4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MTAxODIwLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvYXJjaGl2ZS5rb3Nvdm90d29wb2ludHplcm8uY29tXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI0XC8wNVwvZmlndXJlOC1lcGVybWlyZXN1bWUucG5nIn0%3D\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"12355\" height=\"4759\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-101820\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume.png 12355w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-1024x394.png 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-768x296.png 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-1536x592.png 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-2048x789.png 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/figure8-epermiresume-326x126.png 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 12355px) 100vw, 12355px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Ilustration: Dina Hajrullahu \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8c09312 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8c09312\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6de382c\" data-id=\"6de382c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e24c540 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e24c540\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the pact\u2019s pillars is \u201cmandatory solidarity,\u201d which forces all EU members to participate in processing daily migrant and asylum-seeker arrivals, even if <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/les-decodeurs\/article\/2024\/04\/10\/what-s-the-eu-pact-on-migration-and-asylum-up-for-a-final-vote-in-brussels_6668011_8.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accepting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> asylum seekers redistributed from other countries will be voluntary. Simple geography means that this task might otherwise fall disproportionately to EU members in southern Europe such as Greece, Italy and Spain. Beyond the question of whether something can actually be considered solidarity if it is institutionally required and not entered into freely, it is worth considering who the solidarity will extend to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While EU members will have to be in solidarity with one another, it doesn\u2019t seem that they are obliged to extend such solidarity to migrants and asylum-seekers. In December 2023, over 50 nongovernmental organizations across Europe published an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/picum.org\/blog\/open-letter-eu-human-rights-risks-migration-pact\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">open letter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the EU, saying that the pact will normalize<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the arbitrary use of immigration detention, increase racial profiling, use \u201ccrisis\u201d procedures to enable pushbacks and return individuals to so-called \u201csafe third countries\u201d where they are at risk of violence, torture and arbitrary imprisonment. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b47a6f0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b47a6f0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-24232ff\" data-id=\"24232ff\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ae0839 elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"5ae0839\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;Green Deal\\u2019s&quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;circle&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">How does the EP engage with the Green Deal?  What is the <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">Green Deal\u2019s<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">relevance in the Western Balkans?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6dec41d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6dec41d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7c5db19\" data-id=\"7c5db19\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb2045b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cb2045b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an effort to achieve <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/news\/a-beginner-s-guide-to-climate-neutrality\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">climate neutrality<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by 2050, the EU seeks to adapt the bloc\u2019s agricultural, transport and energy policies through the European Green Deal. As with Frontex, the Green Deal has arrived in Western Balkan countries, even though citizens of these countries do not have a say in the upcoming EP elections. Complying with the Green Deal is a precondition for EU membership, making climate mitigation efforts another area in which what happens in the EP significantly impacts Kosovo and other countries in the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years after the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcc.int\/docs\/546\/sofia-declaration-on-the-green-agenda-for-the-western-balkans-rn\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sofia Declaration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, Kosovo, although not yet an EU candidate, adopted the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/me.rks-gov.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Energy-Strategy-of-the-Republic-of-Kosovo-2022-2031-1-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy Strategy 2022-2031<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in an effort to achieve a \u201csustainable energy sector integrated into the Pan-European market, ensuring energy security and affordability for citizens.\u201d Kurti <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koha.net\/arberi\/297461\/kurti-strategjia-e-energjise-do-te-siguroje-furnizim-te-rregullt-per-amviseri-dhe-biznese\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that Kosovo has not had a better document in the last 20 years for citizens in the energy sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet the Energy Strategy has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/indep.info\/agjenda-e-gjelber-arritjet-e-kosoves-tre-vjet-pas-samitit-te-sofjes\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> been adequately implemented. The EC\u2019s country report for 2023 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/760aacca-4e88-4667-8792-3ed08cdd65c3_en?filename=SWD_2023_692%20Kosovo%20report_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">assessed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that while Kosovo has made some progress in the energy sector by approving the strategy, it has made only limited progress on transport, environment and climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementation is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.balcanicaucaso.org\/eng\/Areas\/Bosnia-Herzegovina\/A-long-way-to-go-the-Western-Balkans-and-the-green-transition-225788\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across the Western Balkan countries, mainly due to a lack of physical, legal and administrative infrastructure to fully implement their environmental commitments. Kosovo\u2019s main source of energy production <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/when-the-sun-gives-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">continues<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be coal, as is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieeurope.eu\/2023\/10\/09\/green-transition-and-western-balkans-pub-90730#:~:text=Despite%20formal%20alignment%20with%20the,the%20phasing%20out%20of%20coal\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">case<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for all other Western Balkan countries except for Albania. Moreover, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieeurope.eu\/2023\/10\/09\/green-transition-and-western-balkans-pub-90730#:~:text=Dependence%20on%20coal%2C%20outdated%20energy,to%20achieve%20its%20climate%20goals.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outdated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> energy infrastructure, arduous <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/when-the-sun-gives-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bureaucracy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/caneurope.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CAN-Europe-EU-WB-Summit-letter_June-2022.docx.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lack<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of genuine political will to transition to green energy, along with new energy challenges such as higher energy and gas prices driven by Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, remain as formidable obstacles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Western Balkan countries struggle to implement the Green Deal without an avenue to question the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/policies\/green-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">policies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the agreement is now being criticized by von der Leyen\u2019s EPP, who initially backed it, as well as ECR and ID. The EPP\u2019s current position is that the Green Deal falls short of protecting farmers\u2019 rights and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eppgroup.eu\/newsroom\/the-green-deal-must-be-sustainable-for-farmers\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cdo more harm to our food production than good to our environment.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proposed policy changes stemming from the Green Deal include: the EU\u2019s target of restoring at least 20% of its degraded ecosystems by 2050, halving the total <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/europe\/eus-von-der-leyen-wants-cancel-plan-halve-pesticide-use-after-farmer-protests-2024-02-06\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">amount<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of pesticides used and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. These proposals caused a wave of dissent and protest by farmers in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/why-are-farmers-across-europe-protesting\/a-68373187\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">various<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> EU countries. The farmers\u2019 protests have come against a backdrop of general inflation and energy price increases resulting from Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c1206a2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c1206a2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0f3517a\" data-id=\"0f3517a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d7c0f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d7c0f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>WESTERN BALKANS GREEN DEAL TIMELINE<br \/><br \/><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In October 2020, the European Commission presented the Economic Investment Plan for the Western Balkans (EIPWB), along with guidelines for implementing the Green Agenda in the Western Balkans (GAWB). The EIPWB <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/ip_20_1811\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">presents<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an investment package mobilizing up to 9 billion euros of funding for the Western Balkans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GAWB <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/system\/files\/2020-10\/green_agenda_for_the_western_balkans_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mirrors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the EU\u2019s<\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/priorities-2019-2024\/european-green-deal_en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Green Deal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and is an important aspect in accession negotiations. It is organized around five pillars: 1) decarbonization: climate, energy, mobility; 2) Circular economy: sustainable production and consumption; 3) Depollution: air, water and soil; 4) Sustainable food systems and rural areas and 5) Biodiversity: protection and restoration of ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In November 2020, Western Balkan countries signed the <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rcc.int\/docs\/546\/sofia-declaration-on-the-green-agenda-for-the-western-balkans-rn\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sofia Declaration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, endorsing and adopting the Commission&#8217;s guidelines on GAWB. The Regional Cooperation Council, a regionally led and EU-funded cooperation framework in southeastern Europe, also created an Action Plan to <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rcc.int\/docs\/596\/action-plan-for-the-implementation-of-the-sofia-declaration-on-the-green-agenda-for-the-western-balkans-2021-2030\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> implementation of GAWB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EC has <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/75bf7bef-0ecc-40ba-893a-4d45d4ea6ddb_en?filename=factsheet_wb_green_agenda_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">committed 1.25 billion euros<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as part of the <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/eu4green.eu\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU4Green Programme<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> since 2021 to support the agenda\u2019s implementation. Moreover, <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/en\/news\/eus-direct-financial-assistance-to-kosovo-exceeds-e1-3-billion\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the environment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and green energy are also <\/span><a style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid black;\" href=\"https:\/\/neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/60448450-b365-4bb1-a5fa-51960dd49a1d_en?filename=C_2022_8940_F1_ANNEX_EN_V2_P1_2345072.PDF\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">components<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of EU\u2019s financial support to Kosovo under its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) III, which covers 2021-2027.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-235024c\" data-id=\"235024c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67e5a61 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"67e5a61\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/feb\/26\/farmers-protests-brussels-eu-agriculture-leaders-riot-police\" target=\"_blank\">backlash<\/a>\u00a0carries important electoral consequences for the 2024 EP elections, as anti-establishment right-wing parties have capitalized on it to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/31\/world\/europe\/angry-farmers-are-reshaping-europe.html\" target=\"_blank\">reshape<\/a>\u00a0politics in many EU countries. Polling\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/europa.eu\/eurobarometer\/surveys\/detail\/3272\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">data<\/a>\u00a0shows that in 2019, potential EP election voters in seven countries \u2014 Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany \u2014 identified climate change as the top priority in campaign discussions. In 2024, however, climate change was only identified as the first priority in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/europa.eu\/eurobarometer\/surveys\/detail\/3272\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">Sweden.<\/a>\u00a0Across the whole EU, climate change was fifth among priorities, behind fighting poverty, public health, supporting the economy and defense and security.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>Ahead of the 2024 EP elections, politicians, particularly on the right and far right, have sought to capitalize on a certain portion of the population\u2019s anger and fear about how Green Deal policies would impact their lives. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consequently, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opposing the Green Deal has become a common cause for agricultural workers and EP\u2019s right-wing. For example, Le Pen\u2019s National Rally in France, which was not previously the farmers\u2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/europes-angry-farmers-fuel-backlash-against-eu-ahead-elections-2024-02-01\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">choice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, could garner more votes from angry farmers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>In 2022, agriculture\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/why-are-farmers-across-europe-protesting\/a-68373187\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">received<\/a>\u00a023% of all subsidies from the EU budget, despite accounting for only 1.6% of economic production and 4.2% of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/02\/13\/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-eu-agriculture-sector#:~:text=An%20estimated%208.6%20million%20people,by%20far%20the%20largest%20employers.\" target=\"_blank\">employment<\/a>\u00a0in the EU. While these subsidies are in place to maintain stable food prices across the EU, they also create a situation in which farmers\u2019 continued livelihoods are partially dependent on EU subsidies.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/europe-democracy-farmers-protest-green-deal-elections-a0278919b2fe47c7476c0c56ccf4850b\" target=\"_blank\">Additionally<\/a>, 80% of those subsidies go to just 20% of farmers, meaning that despite support for the sector, many farmers in the EU operate on slim margins, around or under the poverty line. The Green Deal was von der Leyen\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/02\/20\/in-seeking-re-election-ursula-von-der-leyen-has-one-real-rival-herself\" target=\"_blank\">major<\/a>\u00a0accomplishment, but now, as the political winds have changed, climate has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/ursula-von-der-leyen-military-defense-slimate-second-term\/\" target=\"_blank\">deprioritized<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c40766a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c40766a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9f02bd5\" data-id=\"9f02bd5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6321be7 elementor-headline--style-highlight elementor-widget elementor-widget-animated-headline\" data-id=\"6321be7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;marker&quot;:&quot;double_underline&quot;,&quot;highlighted_text&quot;:&quot;right-wing Europe  &quot;,&quot;headline_style&quot;:&quot;highlight&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;highlight_animation_duration&quot;:1200,&quot;highlight_iteration_delay&quot;:8000}\" data-widget_type=\"animated-headline.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-plain-text elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">A right-wing parliament in an increasingly<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-wrapper elementor-headline-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-headline-dynamic-text elementor-headline-text-active\">right-wing Europe  <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-823ff79 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"823ff79\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8822b55\" data-id=\"8822b55\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3b59860 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3b59860\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2024 EP election cycle has thus far been marked by predictions of a right-wing surge and increase in influence for hard-right and far-right parties. W<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hile the exact distribution of seats to be won by right-wing parties will not be known until the results come in, the overall turnout will also carry significance in showing how EU voters see the EU\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historically, turnout for EP elections has been low, but some signs suggest that 2024 may break that trend. Indeed, a recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/europa.eu\/eurobarometer\/surveys\/detail\/3272\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> indicates that well over half of potential voters in the 27 EU states are \u201cinterested\u201d in the elections and intend to vote. Still, in addition to the aforementioned Taylor Swift, the EU has also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2024\/01\/11\/taylor-co-the-artists-brussels-wants-to-enlist-to-mobilise-young-voters-ahead-of-the-eu-el\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reportedly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sought help from musicians such as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rosal\u00eda, M\u00e5neskin, and Stromae to boost youth turnout.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The electoral impact of higher turnout among young voters is less clear than might have previously been assumed, as such voters increasingly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2024\/03\/08\/portugal-election-young-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conservative parties. In this context, large demonstrations against far-right parties and politics have occurred in countries such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/27\/35000-people-protest-in-austria-against-far-right\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Austria<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/alternative-for-germany-far-right-protests-democracy-965a340f6dc925dd230102ea8847598d\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Germany<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in early 2024, perhaps raising awareness of an ascendant right among people who otherwise would be unlikely to vote in EP elections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EP term from 2019 to 2024 started with Brexit as a key issue, then shifted to issues ranging from COVID-19 to Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine to farmers\u2019 protests. The term featured everything from reveals of deep <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/european-parliament-qatargate-corruption-scandal-leaked-documents-pier-antonio-panzeri-francesco-giorgi-eva-kaili\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">corruption<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> among MEPs to a Putin <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/novayagazeta.eu\/articles\/2023\/02\/27\/putins-sidekicks-en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">apologist<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/apr\/24\/bird-stunt-european-parliament-slovakian-mep-miroslav-radacovsky-dove\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pulling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a dove out of the fanny pack hidden under his suit in the parliament chamber and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C6MBAEZIRv-\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">calling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on his fellow MEPs to \u201cgive peace a chance.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such idiosyncratic headlines and antics are worthy of attention. However, they should not distract from a key underlying fact. The EP\u2019s roles overseeing budgetary allocations to enlargement mechanisms and Frontex operations, approving migration policy and charting a path forward on climate, mean that what the EP does and which voices it consists of matter for the Western Balkans.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>Feature Image: Atdhe Mulla \/ K2.0.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-07b09ea elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"07b09ea\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b922718\" data-id=\"b922718\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7cf7ed elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon elementor-view-default elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"d7cf7ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" id=\"Layer_1\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 659 627\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 659 627;\" 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data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-2621\"><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EU &#8211; European Union\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EP &#8211; European Parliament<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MEPs &#8211; Members of the European Parliament<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EPP &#8211; The European People\u2019s Party<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EC &#8211; European Commission<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RE &#8211; Renew Europe<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S&amp;D &#8211; Socialists and Democrats<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ECR &#8211; European Conservatives and Reformists<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ID &#8211; Identity and Democracy<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AfD &#8211; Alternative for Germany<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greens\/EFA &#8211; Greens\/European Free Alliance<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GUE\/NGL &#8211; Left in the European Parliament<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NI &#8211; Non-Inscrits<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NATO &#8211; North Atlantic Treaty Organisation<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VV &#8211; Vet\u00ebvendosje<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASM &#8211; Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFET &#8211; Foreign Affairs Committee<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Frontex &#8211; Border and Coast Guard Agency<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ENG SHQ B\/C\/S IN-DEPTH Why do the 2024 EU elections matter for the Balkans? Countries in the region will be&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":882,"featured_media":101997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[96],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101877"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/882"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101877"}],"version-history":[{"count":60,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102247,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101877\/revisions\/102247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}