Kosovo plans to formally apply for EU membership in the coming days, Politico reported.

Besnik Bislimi, Kosovo's first deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, told POLITICO, that they are ready to put Kosovo on a new trajector.

Nevertheless, the EU accession process is notoriously lengthy and requires years of normative changes, as well as economic and judicial reforms. And the case of Kosovo is particularly fraught for the EU. Five EU members - Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain - still do not recognize Kosovo's independence

Bislimi said he understands that it will take some time before Kosovo is ready for membership, but he cited 2030 as an initial goal. According to him, the EU will never be complete without the Western Balkans.