It is unfair to say that there is no progress, said the former Finnish president after meeting European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.
The previous three rounds of talks between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs in Vienna that focused on decentralisation have not brought closer the positions of the two sides, but the talks have to be completed before the issue of Kosovo's final status is tackled, Ahtisaari said.
A new round of talks will be held in May and it will focus on cultural and religious heritage, Ahtisaari said, adding that after the talks he would submit a report to the UN Security Council.
Asked if the talks on Kosovo's status could be wrapped up by the end of his term, which expires in November this year, Ahtisaari said that the Contact Group for Kosovo had stated on several occasions that serious effort was needed to find a final solution for Kosovo's status in 2006.
That is my framework, I have no other alternative, he added.
He called on the EU to remain firm in its promise of European prospects for Kosovo, Serbia and the rest of the Balkans.
Both Barroso and Rehn said there was agreement in the EU that Western Balkan countries would have European prospects when they met the necessary criteria.