Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 385 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Ex-KLA members appear today before Hague Court (Gazeta Express)
• Osmani suspends secretary Driton Gashi on suspicion of violations (Koha)
• LVV objects Selmanaj’s presence, Assembly session interrupted (media)
• LVV relates Selmanaj’s presence at session with Hoti’s motion on Ujman Lake (media)
• Gashi responds to LVV: Selmanaj will be present at the hearings (media)
• PDK: Time for new elections, LDK’s and LVV’s behavior, unacceptable (media)
• Basha pledges new Assembly to adopt resolution condemning Serbian genocide (Euronews.al)  
• One year and six months prison for terrorist call against Ambassador Gashi (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 29 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Varhelyi: We are working to make vaccines available to the Western Balkans (RFE)
• Kosovo minister says Serbia blocking power transfers (Beta, N1)
• What does Biden bring? (TV show Agreement, KiM radio)
• Import of Pfizer vaccine in Serbia approved (B92)
• NATO, US plan 2021 military exercise in Serbia’s neighboring countries (Beta, N1)

Opinion:

• Unlocking Kosovo in 2021: last chance to right the wrong (EWB)

International:

• Czecks, Slovaks, Reject Bulgaria’s ‘Historical’ Twist to Enlargement Criteria (Balkan Insight)
• Kosovo Fires Intelligence Chief Over ‘Raid on President’s Safe’ (Balkan Insight)
• Unlocking Kosovo in 2021: last chance to right the wrong (European Western Balkans)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Neglecting Society’s Little Ones (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media 

COVID-19: 385 new cases, seven deaths (media)

385 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 351 persons have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 11,307 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Ex-KLA members appear today before Hague Court (Gazeta Express)

Today (18 December), the initial appearance of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj will take place in the courtroom of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague.

Head of the Association of the KLA Veterans, Hysni Gucati and his deputy Nasim Haradinaj were arrested on 25 September in Kosovo by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) and transferred to The Hague on 26 September, pursuant to an arrest warrant and transfer order issued by a Judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. They are indicted by the SPO with charges against the administration of justice, namely obstruction of official persons in performing official duties, intimidation of witnesses, retaliation and violation of secrecy of proceedings. 

The charges contained in the confirmed indictment relate to a suspicion that, between at least 7 and 25 September 2020, on the occasion of three press conferences and other broadcasted events, as well as through further dissemination, including by social media statements, Haradinaj and Gucati revealed, without authorisation, information protected under the law of the Specialist Chambers, including the identifying details of certain (potential) witnesses. 

During an initial appearance the Pre-Trial Judge ensures that the rights of the accused, including the right to legal representation, are respected, and that the accused understands the charges against him or her.

Gucati pleaded not guilty during the court session today, while Haradinaj said he will make his position known through his lawyer. 

Osmani suspends secretary Driton Gashi on suspicion of violations (Koha)

The Acting President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has suspended the secretary of the Office of the President, Driton Gashi, on suspicion of serious violations of his duties. 

The decision was made on December 15, based on a document provided by Koha, reports this news portal. 

“The Secretary of the Office of the President, Mr. Driton Gashi, is suspended from his duties under suspicions of serious violation of work duties,” it is said in the first point of the decision.

On March 30, 2018, Ramush Haradinaj as Prime Minister had asked Driton Gashi to leave the post of head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, in the form of dissatisfaction with the action that was taken secretly to capture and deport six Turkish citizens, at the request of official Ankara

LVV objects Selmanaj’s presence, Assembly session interrupted (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement’s (LVV) MPs tried to prevent participation of the Deputy Prime Minister Driton Selmanaj at the Assembly session. 

LVV made noise by hitting their tables at Selmanaj’s appearance at Assembly premises. They also shouted “get out, get out,” report media. 

Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Arberie Nagavci, tried to keep order requesting from MPs to create a working environment, however the session was interrupted. 

“As a Parliamentary Group we have decided to refuse to allow the continuation of any plenary session where Driton Selmanaj is present. For us as a Movement, this man is unacceptable in the Assembly. The issue of missing persons is not a matter of a certain political entity or individual, but it is a problem and pain that affects all the citizens of this Republic,” LVV had announced in a statement issued earlier. 

LVV relates Selmanaj’s presence at session with Hoti’s motion on Ujman Lake (media)

Vetevendosje Movement’s MP Liburn Aliu confirmed at a press conference today the position of his political entity that as long as Deputy Prime Minister Driton Selmanaj is present at the Assembly, they will not allow holding of the session. 

“The interrupted session today is related to Driton Selmanaj’s presence. We have made a statement on this matter stating that he is unacceptable, because Selmanaj called the issue of the missing persons, exhausted. MPs are failing and are harming the country due to the weak governing. Today is the motion on Ujman Lake and Hoti is expected to face revealing of the damage that he has caused to the country. They are trying to avoid this facing by using our principled position about Selmanaj. Our reaction at the Assembly is principled and within our positions. The Assembly should continue with its work. Hoti should come and face us about Ujman, and not hide behind Selmanaj. If Selmanaj comes, they are aware of our reaction. The session should continue at 14:00 hours with Hoti present. Even if they come, we will remain at the Assembly, but we will make holding of the session imposible, Aliu said. 

Gashi responds to LVV: Selmanaj will be present at the hearings (media)

The head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Parliamentary Group, Arben Gashi, called the behavior of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) MPs who opposed the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, Driton Selmanaj in the Assembly session, a violent act. 

He added that Selmanaj will participate in the sessions of the Assembly, despite the fact that LVV has said that it will not allow the same to be held in his presence.

PDK: Time for new elections, LDK’s and LVV’s behavior, unacceptable (media)

Kosovo Assembly MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri said the time has come for new elections.

He said at a press conference that PDK considers the behavior of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and that of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) at the Assembly of Kosovo, unacceptable. He also criticized Deputy Prime Minister Driton Selmanaj for appearing at the Assembly session after insulting the families of the missing persons.

“We are losing 15 to 20 citizens each day, as consequence of the lack of care against COVID-19. On the other side, we have degradation of the Assembly of Kosovo,” Tahiri said.

“Currently, we have a majority which never manages to have more than 35 MPs at the Parliament. On the other hand, we as opposition are not managing to lead the country to new elections. It is the time for this Assembly to dissolve and for the country to go for new elections,” Tahiri added.

According to him, Kosovo people have been deceived and the country is degrading due to the LVV and LDK.

“This masquerade that you are seeing at the sessions of the Parliament of Kosovo, is nothing else but, result of the major deceit that the citizens are going through since October 6,” he said. 

Basha pledges new Assembly to adopt resolution condemning Serbian genocide (Euronews.al)       

Acting President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, had today a meeting with the chairman of the Democratic Party Lulzim Basha during her three-day visit in Albania. 

In her speech after the meeting, Ms. Osmani thanked the opposition leader and his team for the continuous support towards Kosovo’s institutions and to her request for the Albanian Assembly to adopt a resolution condemning Serbian genocide.

As she emphasized that Serbia and its alleys are trying now more than ever to hinder the truth about the war, the acting president called on Albanian leaders to raise their voice in front of the world regarding the terrible crimes that Serbia has committed, so that justice is served.

“Our request is that Albania becomes the second country in the world after Kosovo to condemn the Serbian genocide through a legitimate resolution. I thank all Albanian institutions, especially President Meta and now, Mr. Basha, for their support towards this proposition, because it is necessary that all the terrible crimes that Serbia has committed be punished,” Ms. Osmani said.

See at http://bit.ly/34oXmvM

One year and six months prison for terrorist call against Ambassador Gashi (media)

The Basic Court in Prishtina – Special Department has announced the verdict against the accused with initials F.M. for the criminal offense of Incitement to commit terrorist acts under Article 134 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo. 

The accused F.M. was found guilty of the criminal offense of Incitement to commit terrorist acts under Article 134 of the CCRK and was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 1 (one) year and 6 (six) months, which sentence will be executed 30 days after this verdict is in power, while the time he was held in detention, will be calculated in the sentence imposed.

The accused F.M on 19.10.2020 around 23:00 through the social network “Facebook” in Fushë-Kosovë, deliberately and intentionally posted threatening content calls to the Ambassador of Kosovo in France, Qendrim Gashi.

Serbian Language Media

29 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)

Out of 112 tested samples, 29 were positive, while three persons passed away in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced, KoSSev portal reports.

Out of 29 new cases, 23 were registered in northern Kosovo and six in central Kosovo.

The breakdown of the cases is as follows: 11 in Mitrovica North, eight in Zvecan and two each in Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Gracanica, Kamenica and Gnjilane.

Deceased persons were from Mitrovica North, Leposavic and Gnjilane.

At the same time 138 persons completed a two-week isolation period.

A total number of active cases in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo is 1.124.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic a total of 72 persons have passed away in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo. 

Varhelyi: We are working to make vaccines available to the Western Balkans (RFE)

The European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi confirmed that the European Union (EU) is working to make vaccines against COVID-19 available to the Western Balkans in a timely manner, as soon as supplies begin on EU territory, reported Radio free Europe (RFE).

“We are allocating funds and coordinating arrangements for the support. In a pandemic, we stand by the Western Balkans whose future is in the EU,” Varhelyi posted on Twitter.

The European Commissioner for Enlargement talked today (December 18th) via video conference with foreign ministers from the countries of the region, precisely about how to help the region in supplying the vaccines against the coronavirus, reported RFE. 

The EU intends to make these vaccines available to countries in the region as soon as possible.

Namely, according to the plan, vaccines will be sent to the region through two channels: the first is COVAX, which allows high-income countries to ensure that the vaccine is available for low- and middle-income countries, as well as through individual member states that will eventually have an excess of vaccines.

EU experts explained that the sending of vaccines from EU member states will be coordinated so that the countries of the region receive vaccines proportionally.

The European Medicines Agency will approve vaccines for the European market on Monday, December 21, and according to the latest announcements, the first vaccination in the EU will begin on December 27.

All Member States will have access to vaccines at the same time and at the same prices, reported RFE.

Kosovo minister says Serbia blocking power transfers (Beta, N1)

Kosovo Economy Minister Blerim Kuqi accused Serbia of blocking cross-border power transfers from Kosovo on Thursday.

A ministry press release said that Kuqi told a meeting of the Energy Community ministerial council that Serbia had blocked 60 percent of Kosovo’s cross-border transfer capacities. Kuqi told the meeting that Serbia should be censored by the European Union or else the commitment to implement the Energy Community agreement becomes meaningless.  

Kuqi is the second Kosovo official to accuse the Serbian authorities of blocking Kosovo’s power system following an announcement by the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Albania that the two countries had linked their power grids and that Kosovo had become energy independent. Earlier this week, Nebih Zariqi, a member of the Kosovo electricity system (KOSTT) said that Serbia had stopped the import of 500 megawatts of power although it had been contracted with North Macedonia.  

KOSTT stepped out of the EMS regulatory block (Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia) and linked its grid to Albania’s under an agreement between KOSTT and the European energy transfer system ENTSO. The agreement was signed in June and took effect on September 29.

See at: https://bit.ly/2J0RGk5

What does Biden bring? (TV show Agreement, KiM radio)

Jeta Krasniqi from the Kosovo Democratic Institute, Mark Baskin, a professor at the American University in Kosovo and a journalist from Belgrade Bosko Jaksic discussed in ”Dogovor” (Agreement) TV Show, what could be the new American president Joseph Biden’s approach  towards the Washington agreement;what the expectation are and whether the economic approach should be maintained in solving the political problems of Pristina and Belgrade. 

Professor Baskin expects continuity in the implementation of the Washington Agreement signed on September 4 with Serbia and Kosovo, even with Joe Biden on power and his administration. He reminds that a significant part of the American team in charge of the Balkans, such as Philip Reeker and Matthew Palmer, will remain even after the handover of the duties of the American president.

“I expect Biden to respect the Washington agreement in terms of economic normalization, regional cooperation and more and more contacts between Belgrade and Pristina, so I see that as a normal thing,” Baskin said.

Jeta Krasniqi from the Kosovo Democratic Institute reminds that the essence of the problem between Kosovo and Serbia was a political disagreement. Krasniqi expects more courage for the solution but also transatlantic unity between the US and the EU, and the negotiating parties themselves.

“It may be too early to say that we will have a special envoy appointed by the US along with the EU one, but the signals that the newly elected President Biden himself sent during the campaign, that there will be readiness on his part to support this process, return to  stability, i.e. equality between the parties in this process, places emphasis on territorial integrity and justice in regards to war crimes. So, it can be expected that these topics will be the ones that this administration will definitely push forward. It is generally known that wider cooperation between the USA and the EU exists in the Western Balkans, but it also remains to be seen what kind of cooperation it will be, because it is still too early to talk about it,” says Jeta Krasniqi.

Journalist and political analyst from Belgrade, Bosko Jaksic, on the other hand, thinks that no one is in a hurry at this moment, not even the Americans, in solving this problem.

“I am convinced that the first focus in the region of the Western Balkans will be efforts on unblocking the growing influence of Russia and China, and only after that we should expect Kosovo specifically to be on the list of priorities. The Biden administration, if it wants to maintain a proactive approach, should, after consultations with Belgrade, Pristina and the European Union, offer a clear and balanced proposal for a final agreement on the normalization of relations,” Jaksic believes.

On a question of the TV show to public posted via FB,  “Would larger investments by the US contribute to better cooperation between the Serb and Albanian communities in Kosovo?”, the majority of interlocutors or 61.4 percent responded negatively, while 38.6 percent of respondents responded positively i.e. the investments would have a positive effect on relations between communities in Kosovo.

Import of Pfizer vaccine in Serbia approved (B92)

The Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia has given its consent for the import of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine against coronavirus.

On December 2, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted documentation for the registration of the coronavirus vaccine in Serbia, after which Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia began evaluating the documents and thoroughly studying all phases of testing, in order to confirm the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.

Immunization with the Pfizer vaccine has already begun on December 8 in Great Britain, and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given permission for the emergency use of that vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine is also part of the COVAX program.

See at: https://bit.ly/38dtAvb

NATO, US plan 2021 military exercise in Serbia’s neighboring countries (Beta, N1)

The US armed forced and their NATO allies will hold a military exercises’ Defender-Europe 21′ next spring and summer in all regional countries except in Serbia, the Balkan Security Network reported on Friday.

Besides the Balkans, the second such exercise will be held in Germany.

“Defender 21 will be held at 64 locations at all bigger army premises in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. The soldiers will also exercise in Montenegro, Greece near its border with Turkey, and at the Bondsteel base in Kosovo.

Besides 31 army premises, this year’s Defender will be held at 13 civilian sites, ten military airfields, six ports and four reserve locations.

Larger American military units that will take part include the 82nd Airborne Division, the 173rd Parachute Brigade from Vicenza in Italy and the 53rd Infantry Brigade of the Florida National Guard. They will have the support of transport aviation, the navy and some combat support units.

The first ‘Defender-Europe’ was held this year as the largest US military exercise in Europe in the last 25 years.

NATO will hold its ‘Steadfast Defender 21’ training in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria from May 20 to June 22.

See at:https://bit.ly/2LRVy8l

Opinion

Unlocking Kosovo in 2021: last chance to right the wrong (EWB)

By Donika Emini and Zoran Nechev

Citizens of Kosovo were optimistic that the interminable visa liberalisation saga would be finished during the German Presidency. Despite the green light by the European Commission and the European Parliament, because of the opposition from some member states, Kosovars remain alone in Europe not to be able to enter the EU without a visa.

Kosovo was expecting a lot from Berlin, and with a good reason. The EU Presidency was finally held by a country, which has both the political weight to push this through, understands the region, and is supportive of the country’s EU membership perspective.

Contrary to these expectations, not much has happened during the past six months. A number of sceptical EU member states headed by France halted a lukewarm and uninspired push by the German Presidency. As far as Kosovo is concerned, it could have shown much more determination in the areas of most concern to the sceptical EU members, especially fight against organised crime and high-level corruption.

To be fair, previous governments have fulfilled all the necessary requirements for the visa liberalization and met a brick wall of purely political conditionality. Despite the unfair blockage from the Council, their efforts should have been intensified and not diminished as Kosovo Prime Minister Hoti did when he abolished the anti-corruption task force of the police. This particular decision raised some red flags in the EU member state capitals and provided an excuse to their unjustified reluctance to grant the country visa liberalisation 

What could be done now? Kosovo needs to work actively on two fronts. The government should increase its efforts and show genuine political will to continue the implementation of the most sensitive policy areas of the EU roadmap for visa liberalisation such as the fight against corruption and organized crime. Achieving a sustainable track record in these areas is crucial.

In the last 5 years, the country managed to open 66 cases and produce 56 indictments. The EU’s annual country report has been blunt in the need to have a comprehensive track record including all high-level cases of organized crime and corruption. This does not mean that Kosovo should just prioritize high-level cases, it has to do it with the highest level of scrutiny. While doing so, it should make sure it displays to the sceptical EU member states the progress it has made in this regard since 2018 when it received the European Commission’s positive assessment for these efforts.

See more at:https://bit.ly/2WrFL1R

International

Czecks, Slovaks, Reject Bulgaria’s ‘Historical’ Twist to Enlargement Criteria (Balkan Insight)

In a swipe at Bulgaria and its feud with North Macedonia, two Central European countries have said they will not allow disputes over history and language to become criteria for the start of EU membership talks.

Bulgaria on Friday reacted with annoyance after Czechia and Slovakia on Thursday blocked EU moves to meet its demands concerning North Macedonia’s start of EU accession talks.

In a joint statement, the two states on Thursday said they would not endorse the recently amended draft on EU Enlargement Conclusions, intended to appease Bulgarian demands toward EU hopeful North Macedonia, as it contained elements that further complicated the enlargement process.,

The draft was supposed to be adopted at the Council of EU Ministers on Thursday.

“We were unable to give our consent to the draft presented for approval,” the joint statement read. “The text … contained elements, including the notion of falsifying history, that in our view would be hugely detrimental to the enlargement process and could potentially bring about further complications,” they said.

See at: https://bit.ly/2LNVrul

Kosovo Fires Intelligence Chief Over ‘Raid on President’s Safe’ (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo PM Avdullah Hoti and acting president Vjosa Osmani have sacked the chief of the KIA intelligence agency, after a KIA operative allegedly raided the President’s office safe to stop documents falling into the hands of the EU rule-of-law mission.

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, in coordination with acting Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, on Thursday dismissed the chief of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, Kreshnik Gashi, allegedly for trying to obtain confidential documents from the President’s office.

Gashi was dismissed as KIA chief after an incident in which a KIA inspector was allegedly found at the President’s office on November 6, trying to obtain confidential information from the safe, together with former intelligence chief Driton Gashi, who was the secretary of the recently resigned president, Hashim Thaci; he stepped down recently to deal with war crime charges in the Hague concerning the Kosovo independence war.

“There was coordination and full agreement between acting President Vjosa Osmani, and Prime Minister Hoti on relieving the KIA director of his duties,” a media advisor to President Osmani, Bekim Kupina, told BIRN.

On the first day of her three-day official visit to Albania on Thursday, Osmani, also speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, told the TV channel Euronews Albania that she knew the circumstances.

“I know the reasons [for the dismissal] but this is a sensitive process, so I don’t think it is right for me to speak in detail – it was a process that was discussed and coordinated earlier,” she said.

See at: http://bit.ly/3h6ksMP

Unlocking Kosovo in 2021: last chance to right the wrong (European Western Balkans)

Citizens of Kosovo were optimistic that the interminable visa liberalisation saga would be finished during the German Presidency. Despite the green light by the European Commission and the European Parliament, because of the opposition from some member states, Kosovars remain alone in Europe not to be able to enter the EU without a visa.

Kosovo was expecting a lot from Berlin, and with a good reason. The EU Presidency was finally held by a country, which has both the political weight to push this through, understands the region, and is supportive of the country’s EU membership perspective.

Contrary to these expectations, not much has happened during the past six months. A number of sceptical EU member states headed by France halted a lukewarm and uninspired push by the German Presidency. As far as Kosovo is concerned, it could have shown much more determination in the areas of most concern to the sceptical EU members, especially fight against organised crime and high-level corruption.

See at: http://bit.ly/2Wynlwh

Humanitarian/Development

Neglecting Society’s Little Ones (Kosovo 2.0)

For 17 years, Shpresa Behluli has worked as a midwife in the maternity ward where children in the Prizren region are born. At the same time, she is also the mother of two daughters aged 18 and four and has to take care of the latter.  

When her elder daughter turned 14, Shpresa gave birth to her second daughter and took full advantage of her one-year maternity leave. Although the last three months are not financially covered, she continued to take care of the baby — the Law on Labour guarantees limited rights to fathers, with only two weeks of unpaid leave after the child is born, thereby reinforcing traditional roles.

Upon celebrating their daughter’s first birthday, Shpresa returned to work while her husband was employed in the private sector and had only Sundays off. Taking care of a little child turned into a constant struggle to find solutions.

They initially hired a babysitter, who would stay until they returned home from work. However, the modest amount of 120 euros per month that they paid to her became a burden on the family budget. This forced Shpresa to work the night shift at Prizren’s Regional Hospital, in order to take care of her daughter during the day. Meanwhile, she reduced the babysitter’s hours to work once every four days and paid her less. Sometimes, her husband would also work all weekend so that he could take care of the baby girl on Mondays.

See at: https://bit.ly/3r7UH3b