Special court amendments to be voted without draft law (Zeri/Koha)
Zeri reports on the front page that the Kosovo Assembly is expected to on vote constitutional amendments paving way for the establishment of the special court this Friday but the draft law on specialized chambers will remain with the government until all modalities are finalized. As a result, government representatives will only provide a summary of the draft law to MPs, which the opposition claims is an attempt to ‘smuggle’ the special court. Koha Ditore reports on its front page that the MPs have already received two draft laws related to the establishment of the special court: the draft law on the specialized chambers and the office of the specialized prosecution, and the draft law on the legal defense and financial assistance for potential indictees in the proceedings of the specialized chambers. According to the paper, a special voting procedure will be applied and MPs will not have the right to intervene in the draft laws. Meanwhile, the opposition parties, the Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) said they will vote against the special court in the Assembly. They also did not rule out protests and different actions both inside and outside the Assembly building.
Ombudsperson: Special court, major blow for Kosovo (dailies)
In an interview for Kosovapress, outgoing Ombudsperson Sami Kurteshi said that establishment of the special court is the most serious blow Kosovo has suffered since the end of the conflict. He said it is unacceptable for a law to be prepared within the Constitution of Kosovo framework and not take into account the government’s recommendations. However, Kurteshi added that the court is a result of the failure of Kosovo’s judiciary.
Difficult topics in Brussels (Zeri)
The upcoming meeting between prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, Isa Mustafa and Aleksandar Vucic is said to be decisive for several issues on which the parties have not yet fully agreed. These, according to the paper, include the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb Municipalities, but the head of Pristina delegation, Edita Tahiri, has repeatedly said that the Association/Community cannot be established before the dissolution of Serb illegal structures in the north.
Kosovo with highest number of asylum-seekers in the EU (Koha)
The European Union’s statistical office (EUROSTAT) has published alarming figures about the number of asylum-seekers from Kosovo in EU member states, the paper reports. In the first quarter of 2015, people from Kosovo make up the highest number of asylum-seekers in the EU. A senior EU diplomat told the paper: “Kosovar asylum-seekers are rejected almost 100%. But the procedures and their shelter until the procedures are completed constitute a heavy administrative and financial burden on our countries. This is why I fear that the interior ministers of member states will not be ready to make a positive decision on visa liberalization, even if there is a positive assessment by the European Commission experts”.
Llapushnik residents protest against Catholic cemetery plans (Indeksonline)
The residents of the village of Llapushnik in Drenas/Glogovac municipality will protest again today against the request of the Catholic Diocese of Kosovo and a decision by the Drenas/Glogovac municipality to allocate land for a Catholic cemetery. The organizers of the protest, which will start at 10:00 today, said the decision was made without a vote in the municipal assembly and that it has triggered reactions from villagers and KLA war veterans, because there were plans to build KLA monuments in the allocated land. The villagers of Llapushnik denied any religious motives behind the dispute. The Kosovo Police told Koha Ditore that on Sunday early morning the surrounding wall of the future Catholic cemetery was demolished.
Serbia, Kosovo’s main trade partner (Koha)
In one of its front-page stories, the paper reports that Kosovo continues to export cash due to the lack of domestic products and that in 2014 Kosovo exported over €2 billion of cash. The paper also notes that Serbia continues to be the Kosovo’s largest trade partner. In 2014, the sale of Serbian products in Kosovo increased by 30 percent compared to 2013.
