France and Kosovo

Political relations

France recognized Kosovo on 18 February 2008, the day after its declaration of independence. Since 1999, it had been actively involved in settling the issue of Kosovo. Our two countries maintain regular political dialogue.

French presence

Number of French nationals in Kosovo: 158
Number of Kosovan nationals in France: 40,000 (estimated)

Visits

• 17 February 2023: The French Foreign Minister and German Federal Chancellor met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference
• 10-11 November 2022: Visit to France by the President and Prime Minister of Kosovo for the Paris Peace Forum - meeting with the President of the French Republic
• 6 October 2022: meeting between the President of the French Republic and the German Federal Chancellor on the sidelines of the European Political Community meeting in Prague
• March 2022: visit to France by the Kosovan Minister of Foreign Affairs , meeting with the Minister of State for European Affairs
• December 2021: visit to France by Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue
• November 2021: participation of the Prime Minister of Kosovo in the Paris Peace Forum
• June 2021: visit to France by the Kosovan Prime Minister, who met with the President of the French Republic, and by the Kosovan Interior Minister, who met with his French counterpart Gérald Darmanin
• January 2020: The Kosovan Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministers attended the second high-level meeting of the Franco-German initiative on the implementation of the roadmap for comprehensive small arms and light weapons control in the Western Balkans in Berlin
• November 2019: the President of Kosovo, Mr Hashim Thaçi, took part in the second edition of the Paris Peace Forum (12-13 November)
• July 2019: visit to France by the Prime Minister of Kosovo – meeting with the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner;
• April 2019: visit to France by the Kosovan Minister of European Integration – meeting with the Minister of State attached to the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez
• February 2019: visit to France by the Kosovan Finance and Defence Ministers
• December 2018: The Kosovan Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministers attended the high-level meeting of the Franco-German initiative on the implementation of the roadmap for comprehensive small arms and light weapons control in the Western Balkans in Paris
• November 2018: the President of Kosovo, Mr Hashim Thaçi, took part in the 11 November ceremonies

Economic relations

Although French-Kosovan bilateral trade remains limited, French exports and imports increased by 113.8% (to €50.4 million) and 42.8% (to €10.3 million) respectively. In 2021, France’s trade surplus with Kosovo (€40.2 million) grew due to the economic recovery (up 7.5% in 2021 according to the IMF), recording an increase of 145%. The upward trend of French exports since 2019, driven by used car exports, was consolidated in 2021 via the export of chemicals. Kosovo is France’s 156th largest supplier and 128th largest customer, while France is Kosovo’s 16th largest supplier and 15th largest customer. It should be noted that Kosovo’s main suppliers are Germany, Turkey, China and Serbia, and that its leading customer is the United States. The French economic presence remains minimal, but could be boosted by a number of structural projects. France is the 13th largest investor in Kosovo, with Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States (in that order) being the main investors.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

France has cooperation activities in Kosovo in the institutional and academic fields, as well as in justice, law, archaeology and territorial cooperation (with the Hauts-de-France region in particular). It also runs renowned cultural projects on the Kosovan cultural scene, involving activities in the fields of cinema, music, heritage, and the promotion of French language teaching and Francophonie. Our cultural cooperation network draws in particular on the Alliance Française branch in Pristina (https://af-pristina.com/eng/)

Other cooperation

France and Kosovo have developed cooperation in the areas of administration and internal security.

^{Updated: 28.04.23}