Verklaring President-EU Van Rompuy over vergadering eerste minister Kosovo Thaçi, (en)

The EU welcomes the latest positive results in the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, in particular the agreement on the integrated management for crossing points (IBM), which both parties are committed to implementing. I expressed my appreciation for the constructive role played by Prime Minister Thaçi and encouraged him to seek further results in the interests of Kosovo, Serbia and the whole region.

We discussed the Council Conclusions of 5 December 2011 related to Kosovo, which are both substantive and positive, and reaffirm the European perspective of the whole Western Balkans region. I expressed my hope that practical advances can be made as regards a visa dialogue, trade, EBRD membership and participation in EU programmes.

While Kosovo is making progress in many areas, a number of important challenges remain. I underlined the need for Kosovo to continue and intensify its efforts in particular in the area of rule of law, including the fight against organised crime and corruption. Getting closer to the EU is a long and challenging path, but one that is worth embarking upon.