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French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed hope that the election of Kosovo’s new president, Justina Shiroka-Pula, will help revive the country’s progress toward European Union integration, while emphasizing the importance of normalizing relations with Serbia.
In a congratulatory letter sent to Shiroka-Pula on the occasion of her assumption of office, Macron highlighted the historic partnership between France and Kosovo and reaffirmed Paris’s support for the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
According to a statement from the Kosovo Presidency published on November 4, the French president said he hoped Shiroka-Pula’s election would make it possible to resume progress in areas contributing to Kosovo’s European perspective.
Macron also recalled his meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Paris in March 2026 and welcomed the agreements signed between France and Kosovo following the visit of France’s Minister Delegate for Europe in July.
Macron Reiterates Importance of Kosovo-Serbia Normalization
A central point of Macron’s message was the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which France continues to regard as an important element of the region’s European future.
The French president reaffirmed his country's support for the dialogue facilitated by the European Union, emphasizing the importance of progress in implementing the commitments made by both sides.
Kosovo and Serbia reached the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation in Brussels on February 27, 2023, and agreed on an implementation annex in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on March 18 of the same year.
The agreement includes commitments concerning good-neighborly relations, the recognition of documents and national symbols, and Serbia’s obligation not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in international organizations.
It also envisages an appropriate level of self-management for Kosovo’s Serbian community.
However, implementation has remained incomplete, with both sides continuing to accuse each other of failing to meet their obligations. The European Union has repeatedly stressed that fulfilling the commitments arising from the dialogue is an integral part of the European integration process for both Kosovo and Serbia.
France has maintained a similar position. During his visit to Kosovo in July 2026, French Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad linked progress toward European integration with the implementation of obligations arising from the dialogue agreements.
Kosovo’s European Integration Process Remains Stalled
Kosovo applied for European Union membership in December 2022, but it remains a potential candidate and has not yet received official candidate status.
One of the major political obstacles is that five EU member states — Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus — do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Their position complicates the country's path through EU accession procedures, which require agreement among member states.
The European Commission’s 2026 Enlargement Report, published on November 4, also highlighted the impact of Kosovo’s prolonged political and institutional crisis on the pace of reforms.
The report noted that the political agreement surrounding the election of the new president helped ease the institutional deadlock, while stressing that Kosovo still needs to accelerate reforms and fulfil its obligations under the EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia.
Kosovo now has new institutions following the election of Justina Shiroka-Pula as president on October 7, 2026, and the formation of a new government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti in September.
France and Kosovo Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation
Beyond the political and European integration agenda, Macron also highlighted recent developments in relations between France and Kosovo.
He referred to his meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Élysée Palace in Paris in March 2026, where the two leaders discussed Kosovo’s European integration, regional security and closer bilateral cooperation.
Relations were further strengthened in July, when French Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad visited Pristina. The visit resulted in the signing of four agreements and a declaration of intent covering justice, education and sport.
Two agreements concern extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the judicial institutions of the two countries.
Another agreement provides for a €60 million loan from the French Development Agency to support infrastructure investments linked to preparations for the Pristina 2030 Mediterranean Games.
The two sides also signed a declaration of intent concerning the organization of the Games and an agreement aimed at expanding French-language education in Kosovo.
These agreements were discussed again on October 22, when Kurti and Haddad met on the sidelines of the Berlin Process Summit in Montenegro.
Macron’s latest message therefore combines France’s support for Kosovo’s European perspective with a clear emphasis on the need for progress in the normalization dialogue with Serbia.