2019 will be a decisive year for the European Union (EU) and for Kosovo’s integration prospects. In May 2019 the European Parliament (EP) elections will take place and are expected to lead to a different, more right-leaning, design of the plenary. Come October of the same year, the current European Commission (EC) ends its mandate, with Federica Mogherini finishing her term as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and passing the torch to her successor in leading reconciliation efforts related to Kosovo and Serbia. For this reason, the European political landscape is expected to change substantially and the effects it will have for the geostrategic interests of Kosovo, particularly hot topics such as visa liberalization or accession, are yet to be determined. What is the position the main right and far-right parties in the EU have towards Kosovo? How likely is it that new coalitions in the EP will change the rules of the game with regards to enlargement and visa liberalization for Kosovo? How does the presidency of the Council of the EU factor into the equation?

This report seeks to analyze the current and forthcoming political landscape in EU Member States and in EU institutions from the angle of Kosovo’s interests, image and path in the European Union. In parallel, global actors with an important role, namely the United States and the United Nations, will also be examined given their soft or hard power influence over Kosovo’s international standing. The report will start by dissecting the late-2018 and early-2019 EU priority agenda and, from there, tie the ongoing political moves in Brussels to Kosovo and this country’s own geostrategic agenda. Linked to this, a broader perspective is given by looking into the latest meetings held in the United Nations regarding the situation in Kosovo, in order to better pinpoint the standing Kosovar interests currently hold in the main international stage among both American and European countries.