The House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met to study the security situation in the western Balkans, hearing from H.E. Adriatik Kryeziu, Ambassador of Kosovo to Canada; Muhamet Brajshori, a lecturer and former Kosovo deputy foreign minister; Gëzim Visoka, an associate professor at Dublin City University; and Jos Boonstra, a senior researcher at the Centre for European Security Studies.
Ambassador Kryeziu described the security situation in the western Balkans as generally stable but fragile due to Serbia's refusal to recognize Kosovo's independence and its support for parallel structures that undermine Kosovo's sovereignty. He highlighted the September 2023 Banjska attack as a serious incident linked to individuals close to Serbian leadership, and called on Canada to urge Serbia to extradite the perpetrators. He also raised concerns about the rights of ethnic Albanians in Serbia's Presheva Valley and argued that Kosovo remains fully aligned with Euro-Atlantic policies, including sanctions on Russia, while recommending increased Canadian diplomatic engagement and support for Kosovo's NATO membership.
Muhamet Brajshori assessed the western Balkans as one of Europe's most vulnerable geopolitical spaces, where unresolved disputes, external authoritarian influence and stalled Euro-Atlantic integration intersect. He argued that Serbia's rejection of Kosovo's independence and its close ties with Russia and China pose ongoing challenges, and that the credibility of the EU integration process is being tested. He recommended that Canada support Kosovo's NATO membership, encourage further international recognition of Kosovo, establish a regular Canada-western Balkans summit and expand its economic footprint in defence, energy and critical minerals.
Gëzim Visoka highlighted three trends affecting Balkan security: democratic backsliding and autocratization, a shift toward transactional diplomacy under the Trump administration that has revived revisionist tendencies, and stalled EU and NATO enlargement. He noted that five EU member states still do not recognize Kosovo, blocking its Euro-Atlantic path, and argued that Canada is uniquely positioned to provide principled leadership. He recommended that Canada rally NATO and EU allies toward a unified stance on democracy, the preservation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's statehood, and recognition of Kosovo's independence and membership in international organizations.
Jos Boonstra discussed the EU's stalled enlargement process, noting that a recent summit produced a non-paper from Germany and France proposing a staged accession process, which he saw as potentially beneficial. He identified Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina as focal points of potential instability and stressed the importance of international presence in both countries. He recommended that Canada and the EU include the western Balkans in new security co-operation initiatives, such as the EU-Canada security and defence partnership, and that Canada offer a fresh perspective on democracy, particularly in building parliamentary capacity for budget oversight and security governance.
The committee briefly debated procedural points regarding the timing of the meeting after a vote, with a member requesting that at least 10 minutes be allowed for members to return from the chamber to the meeting room.
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