On February 17, 2008, Kosovo, a province of Serbia, unilaterally declared independence, which hasn’t been recognized by Serbia. After a public contest was held, a new anthem was adopted by the separatist government on June 11 of that year entitled “Europe”. Significantly, the anthem is lyric-less; this may be deliberate to avoid any favouritism towards a particular ethnic group. The title possibly reflects the respect the Kosovo government has for the European Union, as the EU’s anthem, “Ode to Joy” was played at the independence ceremonies for lack of a national anthem, and the national flag resembles the EU flag.
