Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday welcomed Kosovo's application for European Union membership and wished the country success on its European path.

We will continue to provide support and share Croatia’s experiences, Plenkovic, who was attending an EU summit in Brussels, said on Twitter.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti submitted a request for Kosovo’s membership of the European Union on Thursday in Prague, launching a process that could take years, if not decades, and is dependent on it normalising relations with neighbouring Serbia. Kurti presented the application in Prague to the Czech Republic, which is currently holding the EU’s rotating presidency.

With this move by Kosovo, the EU is facing an unprecedented situation.

“Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union,” according to Article 40 of the Treaty of Lisbon.

In all the previous cases, there was a discussion on whether an applicant country fulfilled the conditions for membership, that is, for candidate status. In this case, something else has to be resolved — whether Kosovo is a state.

Twenty-two EU members have recognised Kosovo and established diplomatic relations with it. However, it is necessary that all 27 member states reach a consensus, and Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain still do not recognise Kosovo’s independence.

Therefore, a clear response should not be expected from the EU until the situation regarding Kosovo’s status becomes clearer.

Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that has not submitted an application for EU membership until now.

Although the 27 EU member states are not in favour of the further enlargement of the Union, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they have decided to devote more energy to improving the relations with the six Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.