Postponement of visa liberalisation triggers new debates
(All monitored broadcasters, TV21)
Postponement of visa liberalisation for Kosovo until September has resumed debates between the ruling and opposition parties about this issue. Parties accuse each other for this failure, while the analysts blame the whole political spectrum, which, according to them, did not find a compromise regarding demarcation with Montenegro, which has now become an obstacle to visa abolishment.
No matter that the European Union officials called on Kosovo institutions to ratify the Agreement on border delineation with Montenegro, as one of the conditions for visa liberalisation, this still has not happened.
European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur for liberalisation of visas for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, has announced that the voting for Kosovo’s visa liberalisation recommendation was postponed to September, although it has been planned to happen on 12 July.
Kosovo Minister for European Integration, Bekim Çollaku, considers this decision as the final message of the European Union for Kosovo to fulfill the criteria for liberalization of visas.
On the other hand, officials of opposition parties say that the European Union should not have conditioned liberalization of visas with ratification of the agreement with Montenegro.
In the meantime, Minister Çollaku said that contradiction of the opposition regarding this issue is impeding abolishment of visas for Kosovo citizens.
Thaçi calls for ratification of border demarcation with Montenegro
(All monitored broadcasters, TV21)
President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi called on all parliamentary political parties to ratify the Agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro.
According to him, Kosovars are unjustly being denied the right to move freely in Schengen Zone ‘because of daily political gain of some politicians.’
President Thaçi said that demarcation with Montenegro must be ratified in the coming days; otherwise, according to him, no discussion or decision on visa liberalization for Kosovo will be made until September.
Mustafa: Demarcation should be addressed as soon as possible
(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)
Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa stressed that Members of the Kosovo Assembly must address the issue of demarcation with Montenegro as soon as possible.
He said that ratification of this Agreement is the only way for the EU Council and the European Parliament to give a green light for Kosovo citizens to travel without visas into the EU.
Veseli assures citizens regarding demarcation with Montenegro
(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli has assured citizens of Rugova Valley same as all the citizens of Kosovo that there will be full transparency regarding demarcation of the border with Montenegro.
According to Veseli, any decision of the Kosovo Assembly to be will be taken will be at the benefit of Kosovo citizens.
The last Assembly session on 11 July
(KTV)
The last session of the Assembly of Kosovo will be held on 11 July, while MPs are expected to return on the first days of August because the Assembly Speaker has announced a lot of work during that month, KTV reports.
Glauk Konjufca has requested from the Assembly Speaker to clarify why, different from other times, the MPs will return to the Assembly in August and to also explain what the agendas of the legislative during this period will be. However, Konjufca is certain he knows the reason why it will be worked during August. He believes that ‘ruling parties are intentionally postponing the wrong and harmful decisions that they are going to take during August, at a time, when no massive demonstration can be organised as it is the time when citizens are on leave.’
In the meantime, Albert Krasniqi of the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) said it is bad in case that demarcation is passed with fast track procedures in the Assembly, without going through the revision procedures, no matter that it is a criterion for visa liberalisation.
He criticized the work of the Assembly, over the last year in particular, for the few held sessions, where few laws were passed and all of them with fast track procedures.
Speaker Veseli signed MoUs on implementation of two projects
(Klan Kosova & RTK1)
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli met on Wednesday with Erhard Busek, Head of the ERSTE Foundation from Austria. Veseli and Busek signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Assembly of Kosovo and ERSTE Foundation on implementation of the project “Workshops for democracy” at the Assembly.
During the day Speaker Veseli also signed yet another agreement. He and the Director of Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), Ismet Kryeziu, signed the Memorandum of Understanding for strengthening of Assembly oversight toward the Government and increase of citizens’ involvement on initiatives with state interest.
