• Kosovo leaders oppose a Mini-Schengen idea for Western Balkans (media)
• Thaci travels to Paris for Peace Forum (media)
• ECAP to decide on political party complaints today (media)
• Haradinaj: Tariff on Serbian goods should remain until recognition (RTK)
• Maliqi: Kosovo should not become blocker of U.S. projects (Epoka)
• Serbia’s investments in parallel structures in Kosovo (Radio Free Europe)
• “No new initiative can solve main problem of region, Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia (Koha)
• Rexhep Selimi summoned by specialist chambers (media)
• Berisha: Kosovo Assembly should readdress issue of Special Court (Klan Kosova)
• IKD: Prosecutors failed to fight illegally accumulated wealth (Koha)

Kosovo leaders oppose a Mini-Schengen idea for Western Balkans (media)

Kosovo leaders are opposing the idea of a Mini-Schengen area for the Western Balkans, discussed this weekend at a regional summit in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Zeri reports on the front page. Koha Ditore meanwhile writes that the Mini-Schengen is seen in Kosovo as an initiative that undermines its statehood.

Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Zvizdic signed a joint declaration pledging to cooperate and eliminate barriers to free movement of people, goods, services and capital.

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci said he refused to participate in the summit for several reasons: “Firstly, Kosovo was intentionally overlooked by Serbia in the first summit of this new regional initiative. Second, Kosovo’s only vision remains membership in EU and NATO. Therefore, we do not want under any circumstances to replace our Euro-Atlantic integration with any regional initiative. And finally, this regional initiative is meaningless for as long as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina don’t recognise independence of Kosovo.”

Thaci said on a Facebook post that Kosovo remains committed to good neighbourly relations and removal of barriers to free movement of people and goods but noted that “it cannot be part of such a summit attended by countries that still do not recognise the reality of an independent Kosovo.”

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Isa Mustafa also came out against the idea of a mini-Schengen saying it leads to the creation of a new Yugoslavia. “At first glance it looks like an attractive project but in essence leads to a new Yugoslavia, with Albania and without Croatia and Slovenia. These are ideas we have not supported while we led the government and we will not support it as a Democratic League of Kosovo, whether we are in the government or the opposition,” Mustafa wrote on Facebook.

“Kosovo should aspire to a unified European market, initially on the basis of SAA that also regulates customs and become part of the Schengen Agreement, where the EU countries are. The Mini-Schengen idea emerged when the project designed in Serbia on a Customs Union and on Western Balkans Economic Union failed because of the opposition from Kosovo and Montenegro. “With this agreement we would pass over our sovereignty to neighbouring countries because, as it is known, the Schengen implies unified policies of member states for free and uncontrolled border crossings and this would also apply for Serbia’s Mini-Schengen and the supporters of its hegemony,” he added.

Albanian PM Rama criticised Kosovo for refusing to take part in the summit. He said the fact that Serbia and Bosnia have not recognised Kosovo did not prevent it from taking part in other regional initiatives and signing agreements with European representatives. “There is no reason for Kosovo to exclude itself. Self-exclusion without a reason does not bring anything good for Kosovo at a time of a very heated conflict over the tariff,” Rama said and announced that the next meeting will take place on 21 December in Durres.

President of Serbia Vucic meanwhile rejected claims the initiative is an attempt to create a new Yugoslavia. He said that the idea is to encourage regional cooperation to enable a better life for citizens of all Western Balkans. “There is no talk here about creating a new Yugoslavia,” Vucic said adding that free movement of people and goods would save money and time for all citizens.

Thaci travels to Paris for Peace Forum (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci has travelled to Paris where he is expected to take part in the Peace Forum, hosted by the French President Emmanuel Macron. Thaci will address one of the forum’s panels and will speak about challenges of peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

On Twitter, Thaci wrote: “I’m in #Paris for the Peace Summit. Will have a meeting w/ President @EmmanuelMacron to discuss latest developments in our region and the continent. France can play a crucial role in the forthcoming process of final peace settlement of mutual recognition btwn #Kosovo & #Serbia.”

ECAP to decide on political party complaints today (media)

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission announced final results of 6 October elections last Thursday, while political parties had a 24-hour deadline to submit their complaints to Election Complaints and Appeal Panel (ECAP).  The Panel had 72 hours’ time respectively until today to respond to the parties. This institution informed that they received 100 complaints of political entities and candidates for MPs by 10:50 of 8 November, most of them being from Slobodan Petrovic’s political party, SLS, with 42 complaints, proceeded by LDK with 23, PDK 12, NISMA-AKR-PD 6, LVV 5 and 9 complaints by minority entities.

After the ECAP decision, unsatisfied political parties have the right to submit their complaints to the Supreme Court, within 24 hours, and expect response within 72 hours. After this they complain to the Constitutional Court, which has up to four months to treat eventual complaints.

Haradinaj: Tariff on Serbian goods should remain until recognition (RTK)

Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods is a proved strategic measure and should remain in power until recognition of Kosovo state.

“A year ago, the government of the Republic of Kosovo initiated one of the most courageous decisions ever since the declaration of the independence, by imposing the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods, as a measure towards the aggressive campaign of the Serbian state. With this significant step, Kosovo told Serbia it cannot give tasks (to Kosovo) while to international friends, that we do not stoop to Serbian state. Setting the tariff on Serbian goods, since November of the last year, had also a tremendous impact on strengthening local producers. In essence, this action delegitimised the project of division of Kosovo, which was hiding under the idea of correction of the borders. This measure proved to be strategic and should remain until recognition of the Kosovo state,” Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook account.

Maliqi: Kosovo should not become blocker of U.S. projects (Epoka)

Political analyst Shkelzen Maliqi said in an interview with the paper that there will be no more dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia that includes normalisation of relations, but there will be work on  political solution of the main issue, by closing normalisation with mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia. He said there is another option which is more acceptable for Serbia, and that is opening way to Kosovo for UN membership without formal recognition by Serbia, based on the example of two German states of the seventies. Maliqi added that the idea for a fast push towards reach of the so-called “’reach of comprehensive and legally binding agreement between the two countries’ has matured among the key international factors. According to Maliqi, Kosovo should not become blocker of the projects which come from the U.S.

Speaking about the establishment of the new government in Kosovo, Maliqi said the matter of the President does not have immediate actuality.

Serbia’s investments in parallel structures in Kosovo (Radio Free Europe)

The news website reports that every year the Serbian Government allocates millions of Euros to mainly Serb-inhabited municipalities, especially in the four northern municipalities. According to its 2020 budget projections, Serbia has planned to invest €89 million in Kosovo. Around €63.7 million are destined for the Government’s Office for Kosovo. The largest share of funds will be invested “in support of the functioning of institutions and organisations in the territory of Kosovo”. This mainly involves parallel structures or “the provisional bodies” of the Serbian state in Kosovo. The latter does not recognise these structures and according to agreements reached in Brussels between Pristina and Belgrade, these structures should integrate in Kosovo’s institutions.

Economic experts and the government in Pristina meanwhile argue that Serbia’s investments in the parallel structures are illegal. Naim Gashi, economy expert, told RFE that the funds are invested in mechanisms that undermine the state of Kosovo and obstruct the integration of the Kosovo Serb community. Such investments, he argued, are against the Brussels agreements and the European principles of good neighbourly relations. “Kosovo needs to stop these obstructions and legal violations … and the international community must put pressure on Serbia to stop these hostile activities toward Kosovo,” he added. Haki Shatri, economy advisor to Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, argued that Serbia’s investments in parallel structures in Kosovo are unacceptable and should not be allowed.

“No new initiative can solve main problem of region, Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia (Koha)

The paper’s Brussels-based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, writes in an opinion piece that for the region of the Balkans there are so many initiatives that it is difficult to remember all of them. “However, overcoming problems through cooperation in regional initiatives cannot be done without resolving the key obstacle, Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia. When Serbia will recognise Kosovo, no country will have territorial claims toward another country. And this is the main condition that needs to be met for long-lasting peace and stability in the region,” he writes.

Rexhep Selimi summoned by specialist chambers (media)

Rexhep Selimi, former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army and Vetevendosje MP, announced he has received invitation for an interview from the Specialist Chambers in the capacity of a suspect. Selimi said he will be interviewed in The Hague next week.

Berisha: Kosovo Assembly should readdress issue of Special Court (Klan Kosova)

Hisen Berisha, former senior member of the Kosovo Liberation Army and Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) candidate for MP, said in an interview to Klan Kosova that “the special court, similar to the previous court at The Hague, has zero credibility” and that international courts have failed to try Serbia as a country that committed genocide. Berisha also argued that the Kosovo Assembly must readdress the issue of the special court.

IKD: Prosecutors failed to fight illegally accumulated wealth (Koha)

The paper in one of its front-page stories covers an analysis by the Kosovo Institute for Justice entitled “General crimes in Kosovo, law vs practice”, highlighting one of the conclusions that prosecutors in Kosovo are failing to fight illegally accumulated wealth. The analysis notes that the prosecution has ordered seizing of wealth only in 53 cases and failed to do so in another 1,962 other cases. The IKD has also found that there is a tendency among courts to hide from the public cases that involve people with political and public influence.