Von der Leyen explains the difference between Kosovo and Canada on EU membership

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken about Kosovo’s perspective in the European Union, stressing that EU treaties stipulate that only a European country can apply for membership.

Explaining the difference between Kosovo and Canada in relation to EU membership, von der Leyen said that a state’s geographical position is one of the fundamental criteria set out in the European treaties.

“The difference between Canada and Kosovo, for example, is as follows: our treaties say that it must be a European country applying for membership in the European Union. Canada, geographically, is not Europe, so Canada cannot apply for membership in the European Union,” von der Leyen said.

She stressed that Kosovo’s situation is different, since Kosovo is a European country and, as such, can aspire to membership in the European Union.

“For Kosovo it is different. As a European country, you can be a member of the European Union, and that is exactly the goal we are pursuing,” the European Commission president declared.

Von der Leyen’s statement comes during her visit to Kosovo, where she held meetings with representatives of the country’s institutions and discussed Kosovo’s European perspective.

Von der Leyen has also stressed the importance of institutional stability and of continuing reforms for Kosovo’s advancement on the path toward the European Union, as Telegrafi reports.