• OSCE remains Kosovo’s supporter and partner, Zannier says (KTV)
• Language gap threatening judiciary in Kosovo (RTK1)
• Hahn: Kosovo-Serbia agreement will be comprehensive (TV21)
• Serbia may take Kosovo’s tariff to Strasbourg (KTV)
• Only 27 high level corruption cases tried (KTV)
• British Embassy: We advised avoiding travel to northern municipalities only (RTK) 

News

OSCE remains Kosovo’s supporter and partner, Zannier says

(KTV)

Kosovo Assembly Deputy Speaker Xhavit Haliti received the High Commissioner for National Minorities, Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, and Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu at a meeting on Tuesday.

Ambassador Zannier highlighted that the Assembly remains at the centre of political developments in Kosovo, and consequently, its role remains significant. He said that the OSCE continues to be an important partner and support to Kosovo in many of its development processes.

At the meeting, they discussed current political developments in Kosovo, the role of the OSCE and its support to development of democracy for many years in our country, and building of democratic institutions.

According to the press release issued by the Assembly, greatly appreciating the role of the OSCE in these processes, Deputy Speaker Haliti pointed out the need of the presence of Kosovo at meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, and he asked for Ambassador Zannier’s support in this respect.

“The OSCE in Kosovo is at its home, and that is how it will be treated,” Deputy Speaker Haliti said.

In addition, he informed guests about political processes that our country is going through, the space, as well as the legal and practical rights that minority communities enjoy, both in the Assembly and in other institutions, as well as in political and social life in general. They also discussed the dialogue with Serbia and the need for implementation of the agreements reached.

Language gap threatening judiciary in Kosovo

(RTK1)

Despite the achievements, the judiciary system in Kosovo keeps facing a lot of issues, such as lack of translators and non-integration of minorities in the judiciary. This is what the Head of EU Office in Kosovo Nataliya Apostolova said at the roundtable ‘Equal opportunities for non-minority communities in the judiciary’.

She stated that Kosovo has made progress and consolidation in human rights. Apostolova said that judiciary in the north is yet another achievement, but she added that there are still substantial shortcomings.

“There is a lack of translators. Gap between the languages is increasing, and it threatens the judiciary sector, and it threatens Kosovo to have a monolingual judicial system. It is evident that while on paper the rights of minorities are well protected, these rights are not being implemented yet. The issue of integration of minorities in the judiciary is an issue. An issue that politicians in Kosovo should address is access to justice. My Office stands ready to provide further support,” she said.

The Italian Ambassador to Kosovo Piero Cristoforo Sardi said that providing equal opportunities to non-majority communities in the judiciary is crucial for a good judiciary.

According to him, it is a special need and a clear obligation that communities remain involved in the judiciary.

Minister of Justice Abelard Tahiri said that since 2008, when courts in north Kosovo were functional, 2017 has marked a new era for the justice system.

He mentioned some of what he considers achievements in the rule of law area in Kosovo, and said that the judiciary legislation package allows flexibility to court branches in small municipalities, as well.

Hahn: Kosovo-Serbia agreement will be comprehensive

(TV21)

The European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that Kosovo-Serbia agreement will be comprehensive, and it might have hundreds of pages.

At the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET), Hahn said that the agreement should contribute to development of the entire region and it should not be a determinant for others in the region.

Serbia may take Kosovo’s tariff to Strasbourg

(KTV)

Serb analysts say that Serbia is trying to shift the issue with the tariff imposed on Serbian goods from the political and diplomatic to the international law sphere.

According to them, Serbian Government is discussing with the Advocacy Office in New York about possible representation of Serbia at the Court of Arbitration in Strasbourg.

Dejan Vuk Stankovic, analyst, thinks that political pressure on Prishtinë/Pristina to revoke the tariff has failed to yield results, and he believes that Serbia should initiate legal defence proceeding due to violation of the CEFTA agreement.

On the other hand, chairman of the Serb Lobbying Society Nenad Vukovic says that a decision by the international court that tariffs are illegal would have a legal and political weight.

Only 27 high level corruption cases tried

(KTV)

It is estimated that the state budget has been damaged with millions of euros by various mismanagements with corruption related offences; yet, punishments remain minimal.

Out of 204 corruption cases that have been resolved by justice authorities, only 27 of them are high level cases.

But in those cases, eight defendants have been sentenced to probation, mostly up to 12 months imprisonment, while fines were imposed on others.

The convicted persons include ministers, mayors, police officers, municipal directors of education, and ministry officials.

The data have been made public by the Advisory Committee on Punitive Policies.

The Supreme Court president, who also is chairman of the Committee, said that this analysis provides the opportunity for improvement of the judicial system.

It was stated that Advisory Committee on Punitive Policies will continue monitoring corruption cases, and the next report will provide more details.

British Embassy: We advised avoiding travel to northern municipalities only

(RTK)

 The British Embassy in Kosovo reacted after an announcement made by the British Foreign Office, where British visitors are advised to avoid visits to Kosovo North, due to constant tensions over the years.

“Various news outlets have recently reported (without first checking with the British Embassy) that the UK has advised its citizens not to travel to Kosovo. This is not true. We have advised against all but essential travel to the northern municipalities for several years, due to a number of recent violent incidents linked to organised crime in Northern Kosovo, and the ongoing risk that these structures pose,” the Embassy’s reaction reads.

Further the British Embassy said they occasionally update their travel advice in the north.

“We keep this and the rest of our travel advice under constant review and issue regular updates,” the reaction reads further.