We need a fully-fledged government, says the French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guérot.
Three days before the December 28 elections, he told KosovaPress that the international community needs a partner in Kosovo to work on the EU Growth Plan, the normalization of relations with Serbia, and Kosovo’s development. The French diplomat welcomes the removal of 50 percent of the punitive measures against Kosovo, while remaining more reserved when asked whether these measures will be fully lifted at the beginning of next year.
“The message is that we need a partner. Together, we are your foreign supporters, your foreign friends. We need a government—a full government—with which we can work on the Growth Plan, of course, but also on many other issues, whether it is the normalization of relations with Serbia or the development of Kosovo and Kosovo’s legislation,” he emphasizes.
Kosovo failed to form new institutions after the previous elections held on February 9.
Speaking about the political crisis and the failure to form institutions, the French diplomat says that one year without a government with a full mandate has been difficult for Kosovo.
“This year without a full government has been somewhat difficult, I must say. Not that we have been unable to work, as I mentioned, on the wastewater treatment plant project. We have been able to work at the technical level. There were also other initiatives that we could carry out at the technical level, but Kosovo is a democracy. As a democracy, there is a need for a government that is accountable to parliament,” he stresses.
A few days ago, the European Union decided to lift 50 percent of the measures, while committing to removing all punitive measures against Kosovo by the end of January 2026.
According to Ambassador Guérot, this development is good news for Kosovo, as many important projects for the country that had been blocked in recent years will now move forward.
“We have a very important project that has been slowed down by the measures: the construction of a wastewater treatment plant that would cover Prishtina, Obiliq, Fushë Kosovë, and Graçanicë. This is actually a joint project with Germany. So I am looking forward to accelerating this project, on which we have never stopped working at the technical level. It is just one of the projects we have. We have development projects with the French Development Agency, especially to help Kosovo with the Mediterranean Games 2030 and also to support it in the transition toward cleaner energy. Here in Prishtina we see the fog, which is caused by dirty energy, and the agency is working on this,” he adds.
Regarding the commitment that the measures will be lifted by January 2026, the French ambassador tells KosovaPress that the political decision has already been taken by the European Council, and now it is up to the European Commission to implement it.
“I do not know the details. I cannot tell you. The political decision has been taken by the Council of Ministers and the European Council, and now the Commission will implement it. Therefore, I cannot go into details,” he says.
The measures against Kosovo were imposed in 2023 in response to the escalation of the security situation in northern Kosovo, when Albanian mayors—elected in polls boycotted by local Serbs—took office in the northern municipalities.
