• Kosnett: Kosovo should temporarily suspend tariff (Epoka)
• Kocijancic: Tariff blocked dialogue and Kosovo’s European integration (Koha)
• Haradinaj’s associates met Djuric secretly in Berlin (media)
• Prosecution to begin collecting information into Thaci’s advisor (T7/Zeri)
• A government of calculations with corruption (Koha)
• Tahiri: Veseli’s decision may damage PDK vote, but standard is important (media)
• Apostolova: Visa liberalization requires patience (Koha)
• U.S.: Kosovo has not met standards for elimination of human trafficking (media)
• Haradinaj: Unemployment in Kosovo reduced to 26.9 percent (Epoka)
• CSOs to protest today against draft law on funding of political parties (media)
• Baraliu: Election reform cannot conclude this year (Epoka)
• Kosovo to chair three regional initiatives this year (Telegrafi)

Kosnett: Kosovo should temporarily suspend tariff (Epoka)

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip Kosnett, told RajoniPress portal that Kosovo should suspend the tariff on Serbian goods as the first step to return to the dialogue. “We believe that both governments, those of Pristina and Belgrade, should undertake steps and approach the dialogue in a creative manner as well as on the right for compromises, and undertake steps which might not be popular for neither of the countries,” Kosnett said.

“What I want to say is that the opinion of the U.S. government is that negotiators of both sides have the freedom to decide on their own what they want to talk about. When the U.S. government said last year that they would not object arrangement of the border, we did not say that we prefer arrangement of the border, but we are only saying that negotiators should be free to discuss about what they want,” Kosnett said.

Kocijancic: Tariff blocked dialogue and Kosovo’s European integration (Koha)

European Union foreign policy spokesperson Maja Kocijancic told Koha that Pristina and Belgrade need to immediately return to the table of talks and reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on full normalisation of relations.

“This would be the best way to guarantee the whole region benefits from this reconciliation and means benefiting from regional integration and economic development in the region,” Kocijancic said in a reply provided to Koha.net.

She also said that the EU member states, including the U.S., once again call on the government of Kosovo to suspend tariff on Serbian goods. “There is no alternative to the speedy resumption of dialogue between the parties. The tax is not only a reason behind the dialogue being blocked but also a reason for Kosovo’s European path being blocked,” she said.

Kocijancic added that Serbia also needs to do its part to pave way for a favourable dialogue. “The conclusion of the process of normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is urgent because the current situation not only incites unsustainability but also means missing out on an opportunity,” Kocijancic said recalling the words of the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.

On the question regarding Mogherini’s position on the Paris summit, Kocijancic said the last meeting in Berlin and the upcoming in Paris could present good opportunities for the region. “We welcome any effort, especially in support of the EU-facilitated dialogue. Through the EU-facilitated dialogue, Belgrade and Pristina have decided to put aside their disagreements and seek a sustainable solution,” she said.

Haradinaj’s associates met Djuric secretly in Berlin (media)

Several online media are reporting that the associates of Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj - Avni Arifi, Selim Selimi, and attorney Michael O’Reily - met secretly in Berlin with the head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo Marko Djuric. The meeting is said to have been confirmed by local and international sources who added that it took place this Wednesday and was organised by German government officials.

The meeting is further reported to have taken place at the premises of the German Chancellery and also included EU, French and German officials but no representatives from the U.S. Sources said the meeting focused on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and that Haradinaj has agreed to it having executive powers as the main compromise for reaching final agreement with Serbia. According to this scenario, Serbia will not have to de jure recognise Kosovo or establish diplomatic relations but will only acknowledge that Kosovo has de facto its own territory.

Co-chair of the Kosovo negotiating team, Shpend Ahmeti, said he was not aware of any meeting in Berlin. Officials from the Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said they had no knowledge about the meeting.

At the same time, Arifi told Gazeta Express that the meeting focused on the technical side of the dialogue and how to proceed. “With regards to the political part, we had no competencies to speak,” Arifi said.

Arifi told Klan Kosova that the issue of the Association/Community was not discussed.

According to a source that Klan Kosova quotes, the Kosovo side was told by the international representatives in the meeting that the import tariff on Serbia needs to be lifted but that they said they had no mandate to discuss this issue and that therefore the meeting was unsuccessful. Klan Kosova also reports that Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli was not informed about the meeting in Berlin and that this was confirmed by his associates who preferred to remain unnamed.

Prosecution to begin collecting information into Thaci’s advisor (T7/Zeri)

Special Prosecution of Kosovo has announced it will start collecting information on whether there is enough evidence to charge President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci’s now-sacked advisor Branislav Nikolic after media reported he was working for the Serbian intelligence service. The Special Prosecution said at present there is no open investigation into Nikolic’s role, but it will timely inform the public whether such proceedings will be launched.

A government of calculations with corruption (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj does not plan to dismiss his fellow party members who are ministers and who have active indictments. One day after Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Kadri Veseli decided to relieve from duty party officials who have active indictments, Haradinaj said he is not influenced by the actions of the ruling coalition partners. “Every political party has its own specifics, reasons and calculations. I don’t comment on the decisions of party leaders. I am responsible only for the Alliance [for the Future of Kosovo], its work, and our specifics do not match those of other political parties,” Haradinaj was quoted as saying. “Veseli is a partner. Anytime he is pleased with the work of ministers, I express my appreciation. Every time he wants to change them, we do so”.

Tahiri: Veseli’s decision may damage PDK vote, but standard is important (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice and member of the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Abelard Tahiri, said on Thursday that party leader Kadri Veseli’s decision to relieve from duty party officials who have active indictments has set a new standard in Kosovo politics. Tahiri told RTV Dukagjini: “it is important that for the first time the leader of a political party introduced this standard in the Republic of Kosovo. It is also clear to us that people with indictments and with ongoing trials are innocent until a final decision by the court … This is a standard that should be followed by other political parties and their leaders”.

Apostolova: Visa liberalization requires patience (Koha)

EU Head of Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, told KTV on Thursday evening that visa liberalization requires patience. “I know that patience has a limit, but I have an important message that I want to send to the government and the institutions. Kosovo has met the 95 requirements of the Commission, but as time passes all these requirements must be maintained. These requirements were set to bring Kosovo closer to European standards for the fight against corruption and organized crime. The requirements must be maintained because only in this way will EU member states be convinced that Kosovo is ready to get visa liberalization,” she said.

U.S.: Kosovo has not met standards for elimination of human trafficking (media)

The U.S. State Department has concluded in its annual report that Kosovo does not fully meet the minimum standards required to eliminate human trafficking but notes that it is making important efforts in this direction.

The report acknowledges certain progress such as review of the Criminal Code which reclassifies the forced prostitution as trafficking and the appointment of a regional coordinator of the prosecution but notes, “the government convicted fewer traffickers and identified fewer victims. Judges continued to impose weak sentences on convicted traffickers.” The government of Kosovo is also reported to have decreased funding for NGO-run shelters for the fourth consecutive year, forcing NGOs to rely on foreign donors.

See the report: https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report-2/kosovo/

Haradinaj: Unemployment in Kosovo reduced to 26.9 percent (Epoka)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Thursday that based on the data of the Agency for Kosovo Statistics, the level of unemployment in Kosovo has reduced to 26.9 percent during the period January-March of this year, compare to 31.6 percent of October-December of the last year. He said this is good news and evidence of internal economic development. He added that high level of unemployment continues to be a concern of the government.

CSOs to protest today against draft law on funding of political parties (media)

Several news websites report that civil society organizations will organize a protest today in Pristina in opposition to the draft law on the funding of political parties. The protest will be held at the same time as the meeting of the advisory group for improving and strengthening the election process, in which civil society organizations have suspended their participation. They argue that the draft law is in direct contradiction with the spirit of the Constitution and the electoral reform initiated by the Kosovo Assembly. “The draft law allows the diminishing of the main principles of political life by jeopardizing the integrity of the entire electoral reform process, including the violation of the independence of the Political Party Registration Office. The current draft law fails to address the priorities of the European Reform Agenda (ERA) for transparency, accountability, implementation and effective sanctioning in the financing of political parties, enabling political entities to hide the identity of their financial contributors, by raising the ceilings for these contributions, by extending the deadlines for publishing financial reports of their campaign and by reducing fines in cases when parties breach the law. Since the Draft Law on Financing of Political Entities cannot be considered independently of the Electoral Reform and since the same draft seriously jeopardizes this whole reform process, we request that the draft law be withdrawn by the sponsor or voted against by the members of the Assembly of Kosovo,” civil society organizations said in a statement.

Baraliu: Election reform cannot conclude this year (Epoka)

Mazllum Baraliu, an expert on election processes, told the paper on Thursday that civil society organizations where right when they decided to suspend their participation at the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee for empowerment and strengthening of the election process. He said that their note of protest is an alarming sign that the Law on financing the political entities has never managed to reach its aim. Baraliu also expressed scepticism that the election reform would conclude this year. He added that there cannot be a genuine election reform without political seriousness and professionalism.

Kosovo to chair three regional initiatives this year (Telegrafi)

Telegrafi reports that Kosovo will chair three regional initiatives this year: the Western Balkans Fund (WBF), Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) and beginning of July also that of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli met yesterday some of the ambassadors from the countries part of SEECP and said that Kosovo is committed during the time it chairs these initiatives to foster regional cooperation despite “challenges we will have due to Kosovo’s relations with some of the members.”