Europe (anthem)

"Europe" ("Evropa"), officially the Anthem of the Republic of Kosovo ("Himni i Republikës së Kosovës", "Himna Republika Kosovo"), is the national anthem of Kosovo. It was composed by Mendi Mengjiqi. As with the national anthems of Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and San Marino, it has no official lyrics, but unofficial lyrics have been written for it. It was adopted on 11 June 2008. It was chosen because it contained no references to any specific ethnic group. It was selected by the Assembly of Kosovo, with 72 MPs voting in favor, while 15 voted against and five abstained.
History.
On 12 March 2008 the Assembly of Kosovo announced an open contest to choose a national anthem for the country in Pristina's newspapers and on the official website of the Assembly. The rules include:
Other anthem candidates.
Ode to Joy.
"Ode to Joy", the European continental anthem, was played at the official declaration ceremonies of the Republic of Kosovo. The government of Kosovo decided to do this as a mark of respect to the European Union for its efforts on helping in gaining independence.
Himni i Flamurit.
"Himni i Flamurit", the national anthem of Albania, has been widely used in Kosovo with other Albanian national symbols. It was also the state anthem of the unrecognized Republic of Kosova that existed from 1990 until 1999 when the province was taken into the control of the United Nations.
Kur ka ra kushtrimi n'Kosovë.
"Kur ka ra kushtrimi n'Kosovë", a song composed by Rauf Dhomi, was proposed by the former President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova, as the state anthem in 2000. However, no decision was made back then. The anthem has lyrics in the Albanian language.