Spain: Kosovo’s strongest opponent in Europe

Abstract

Spain has adopted a particularly strong position towards Kosovo. Not only has Madrid refused to recognise Kosovo, it has also refused to engage with Pristina in any way. Even unofficial contact between Kosovo and Spain, such as between civil society organisations, has been extremely limited. As this chapter shows, Spain’s position has been shaped by internal debates within the country about separatism, most notably in the Basque Country and Catalonia. Like most of the other non-recognisers, Madrid’s position is unlikely to change until the question of independence is resolved between Serbia and Kosovo.