It is expected that Kosovo will officially submit an application for membership in the European Union to Brussels on December 15. This was reported by the Kosovo TV channel RTK, which received a document justifying the application.

 It is not yet known how the EU will respond to Kosovo's application, five EU countries have not recognized its independence: Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Romania.

 The document justifying the application begins with a summary of Kosovo's path to the EU, which began almost two decades after the European Council in Thessaloniki promised a European perspective for all the countries of the Western Balkans.

 Since then, among the Western Balkan states, only Kosovo has not applied for accession.

 "Despite this, membership in the EU remains a strategic goal for the country, which is evidenced by the government's firm commitment to carrying out key reforms within the framework of the European Reform Program," the document states.

 It goes on to say that there is a broad consensus across the political spectrum and among citizens in favor of Kosovo's EU membership, and that, based on regional polls, Kosovo now has the highest level of support from the general public at 94% in favour.

 "Therefore, the time is right not only for Kosovo's application for EU membership, but this step also illustrates the strong will of our citizens and is a clear manifestation of the firm commitment of Kosovo's institutions to the Euro-Atlantic path," the document says.

 It should be noted that Kosovo is applying to join the EU against the background of a new round of tension with Serbia.