• COVID-19: 64 new cases, one death (media)
• High Representative Borrell meets Western Balkans leaders (media)
• Borrell revives tradition of informal exchanges with regional leaders (media)
• Kurti: Meeting with Vucic in mid-June (media)
• Lajcak meets Kurti, discuss continuation of dialogue (media)
• Osmani: Always ready for cooperation with our neighbors (media)
• Joseph: Serbia must no longer be privileged (Radio Free Europe)
• Thaci and others to appear in next session today (media)
• Tensions between the municipalities and central government (Koha)
• Tired of the pandemic (Kosovo 2.0)
• BIRN debate exposes flaws in fight against sexual harassment (BIRN)

COVID-19: 64 new cases, one death (media)

Kosovo has recorded 64 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the last 24 hours. At the same time, 409 recoveries have been confirmed over the same time period. There are 4,543 active cases of coronavirus in Kosovo.

High Representative Borrell meets Western Balkans leaders (media)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said before an informal dinner with leaders of the Western Balkans on Tuesday that he will revive the tradition of such meetings “as this gives us the opportunity to discuss openly how do we see the situation and challenges of the region of the Western Balkans”.

“And we also have to look at the broad political landscape … but from the geopolitical approach of the whole region. And we agreed to increase our commitment to the region. This is something that for everyone who understands the dynamics of the region is something unquestionable. But we need to make it visible.”

“Our strong and wide-ranging political engagement. I repeat it goes beyond enlargement. The main purpose is to reach out with our regional partners, to listen to their views, to understand their worries, to understand their ideas, to reflect together how we can better work together on our common future. I hope this exchange will help us to better understand the dynamic of the region, and as I said, how we can work together to tackle these wider geopolitical challenges that we are facing today.”

Borrell revives tradition of informal exchanges with regional leaders (media)

Most media cover a press release issued by the European External Action Service about the informal dinner that High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell hosted with the six leaders of the Western Balkans on the future of the region and the main challenges it is facing. Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi also participated in the meeting.

In an open and frank atmosphere, the High Representative and the Western Balkans leaders had a strategic reflection together on ways to accelerate reforms to deliver on citizens’ expectations on EU integration, as well as approaches for reinforcing positive and constructive narratives in and about the region. They agreed that the EU integration of the Western Balkans is a key strategic objective in the shared interest of the European Union and of the region.

Leaders confirmed their strong commitment to regional cooperation and agreed to continue to address global challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

In hosting this informal meeting, High Representative Borrell is reviving the tradition of informal meetings with Western Balkans leaders. These meetings will continue in the future.

Kurti: Meeting with Vucic in mid-June (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Tuesday that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will continue but that the process must be well-prepared, with a clear agenda and with an expected outcome – mutual recognition between the two countries. He made these remarks after an informal dinner hosted by EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

Kurti said he will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels in mid-June and that the meeting will focus on how to proceed with the dialogue “and what needs to be the new chapter of the dialogue”. “We need to agree on the process ahead because we cannot continue the way it was done in the last years and with the previous governments. We want a well-prepared dialogue as equal parties. The core is what President Biden and other world leaders have said and that is that the solution consists in mutual recognition,” he said.

Kurti said he called for visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens at the meeting. “I focused on the issue of visa liberalisation and not only this, as we also need investments in the economy, which would reduce migration and increase employment,” he added. “We need visa liberalisation. We are the only country in Europe that does not have visa liberalisation. We still have a visa regime which is the biggest obstacle to talented youths from Kosovo to study and do business abroad.”

Kurti argued that countries of the Western Balkans can move faster if they uphold three principles: democratisation and the fight against autocracy; the rule of law and the fight against monopoly and oligarchies; and facing the past and removing war criminals from the political and institutional landscape. “We still have criminals of war and peace, who dominate in the institutions and parties. In removing them, there will be greater conditions for more trust in the future and for long-term cooperation,” he said.

Lajcak meets Kurti, discuss continuation of dialogue (media)

The EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, met on Tuesday evening in Brussels with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. “In the margins of the informal Western Balkans event today, I was glad to meet with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti to continue our discussions about the next steps in the Dialogue,” Lajcak tweeted after the meeting.

Osmani: Always ready for cooperation with our neighbors (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani concluded her visit to Slovenia where she participated at the 10th meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni process, attended by the Presidents of the countries of the region, including the Presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, as hosts of this meeting. President Osmani held bilateral meetings with President Milanovic of Croatia, President Djukanovic of Montenegro, President Pendarovski of Northern Macedonia and President Meta of Albania.

“During the summit and at bilateral meetings, I raised the issue of persons gone forcibly missing during the last war. This point was included in the Summit Conclusions and were approved by the participating leaders,” Osmani said.

Osmani said that with the support of other heads of states we made impossible the inclusion of dangerous ideas coming from Serbia which harm Kosovo's interests and throw regional cooperation off the rails of EU rules.

Following is President Osmani’s entire post:

During the Brdo-Brijuni process summit, I presented the stance of the Republic of Kosovo in connection to bilateral and regional relations with the Western Balkan countries. The Republic of Kosovo is an eternal project and our participation in regional and international initiatives is always based on equal footing with participating countries.

I had fruitful bilateral discussions with President Milanovic of Croatia, President Djukanovic of Montenegro, President Pendarovski of Northern Macedonia and President Meta of Albania.

At these meetings we pointed out that the future of the region is membership in the European Union and in NATO. We also condemned the idea of changing of borders in the region and the negative influence exercised in the region by other actors.

During the summit proceedings and at bilateral meetings, I raised the issue of persons gone forcibly missing during the last war. This point was included in the Summit Conclusions and were approved by the participating leaders.

With the support of other heads of states, we made impossible the inclusion of dangerous ideas coming from Serbia which harm Kosovo's interests and throw regional cooperation off the rails of EU rules.

Kosovo’s voice was heard, and its interests promoted. We are ready today and always to cooperate with our neighbors in promoting European values in the region.

Joseph: Serbia must no longer be privileged (Radio Free Europe)

Edward Joseph, a professor at John Hopkins University in Washington, said in an interview with the news website that the EU should decide unanimously on the Kosovo question and together with the United States of America to have leverage in creating stability in the Balkans.

“We have been unable to close the Kosovo question and that relates very much to Serbia and Serbia relates very much not just to Kosovo, but to Montenegro, to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Croatia, and it relates to Serbia’s own political development. This is crucial and very much overlooked, its own democratic development, which has gone in the opposite direction. and it all comes back to the lack of leverage and the lack of leverage we have on Kosovo is the reason why the Kosovo question is still open,” he said.

Joseph said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “in the very year that [Serbia] opened its EU candidacy has been eviscerating the democracy in Serbia and what do we say? You can see what the public remarks are of the Western officials”.

Joseph also said that "the US and the EU need to be enabled to stop giving Serbia a privileged treatment, because that is what we’re doing now, because we don’t have leverage on Serbia, we give Serbia privilege. Serbia can behave in anti-democratic ways, can be allies with Russia and China, and we say ‘oh you are a leader’. This has to stop. So it stops when we put Serbia on the same level with the other countries. Not on a worse level. But we stop putting it on a better level. And so we have two principles, we have one for the EU and one for NATO and those two principles basically say that. And they are drafted in a way that they can never be applied for example to Catalonia. It is drafted very carefully so it identifies certain Serbia and Kosovo in the sense that they have formalized relationship with the European Union and Catalonia can never have that unless the government in Madrid would approve and they would never approve. Basically they same similar things, they say you cannot commit political aggression against each other, and the NATO one is very specific and talks about altering borders, which is relating especially to this union of Kosovo and Albania. But it also applies to Bosnia and these kinds of threats. And it applies to Kosovo, to the threat of partitioning Kosovo. So it applies to all the countries.”

Thaci and others to appear in next session today (media)

Most news websites report that former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army – Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi – will appear today in the next session of the Specialist Chambers. The latter said in a statement on Tuesday: “The fifth Status Conference in the case against Thaci et al.is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 19 May, at 11:00.”

Tensions between the municipalities and central government (Koha)

The daily reports on page two that mayors of Kosovo municipalities met on Tuesday in Prishtina to discuss the new relations with the central government. Many of the mayors reportedly complained that without consulting them, the central government is planning to change the law on local self-government and the law on local elections. Imri Ahmeti, chairman of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, said after the closed meeting that the Ministry of Local Self-Government was wrong to accuse the Association of trying to assume executive competencies.

Tired of the pandemic (Kosovo 2.0) The pandemic and its ensuing measures left profound consequences on mental health.

Like many other parents, Danijela L. from Zagreb has spent the year juggling between her job and the children’s needs. Her two girls — one attends kindergarten, and the second one is in primary school — were often “taking shifts” between self-isolation and being in school. Danijela’s days were reduced to cooking, food shopping, cleaning, helping out with the older child’s homework, and entertaining the younger one.

“I’m not unhappy. I’m just locked up in these four walls and more pessimistic than I used to be,” Danijela told K2.0, adding how her concentration has been totally wrecked because she is doing multiple things simultaneously, and then stops everything to do something else.

Even though she admits to having a tough time, Danijela says that she still hasn’t asked for psychological support, not for herself or her children.

“Despite it all, I’m still handling everything properly,” she says.

Many would say that Danijela did well in the pandemic: She is healthy, has a roof over her head, lost no one close to her and has a job. As of this writing, the pandemic has taken 7,623 lives in Croatia, 8,871 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6,623 in Serbia, and 2,222 in Kosovo.

In a context where everyone is losing their loved ones, health, jobs — while still struggling to survive — speaking about mental health may sound like a luxury. However, that is definitely not the case.

Read full article here: https://bit.ly/3v0f3NF

BIRN debate exposes flaws in fight against sexual harassment (BIRN)

Educators and members of civil society highlighted issues in the education system and with the Kosovo Police that discourages the reporting of sexual harassment.

In a BIRN debate aired on Monday, Liridona Sijarina, an activist at Collective for Feminist Thought and Action, stated that sexual harassment is widespread in Kosovo’s schools, and that the the recent incident of sexual violence involving school children is far from an isolated case.

For Sijarina, the lack of public debate on the issue is a concern, while she states that authorities employed to tackle sexual violence and harassment are often ill-prepared.

“Officials who are supposed to offer protection from sexual harassment are not trained,” she said. “They do not know what sexual harassment is, or how to proceed in cases when someone reports sexual harassment.”

In 2020, 48 cases of sexual harassment were reported to Kosovo Police but according to Sijarina, there is not single case in which someone was convicted, despite sexual harassment being listed as a criminal offense under the Criminal Code.

Panelists during the BIRN debate on Monday. Photo: Urim Krasniqi/Prishtina Insight. According to Sherife Alickaj-Qerimi, a teacher from Fushe Kosove, problems with sexual harassment even extend to Kosovo Police. She told BIRN about an incident that occured more than seven years ago, when she went to report an attempted sexual assault on a 12-year-old girl by the girl’s father.

Alickaj came to Prishtina to report the case to the police. However, while she was reporting the incident, she found herself being harrassed.

“A policeman said to me, ‘Can I have your phone number as I want to talk with you,’” she recalled. “So I had to deal with another problem and not deal with the case of the girl.”

For Alickaj, who is a member of the Kosovo Parents Council, negligence by state authorities has discouraged reporting of sexual harassment. “There are thousands of cases that remain unreported,” she said. “To tell you the truth, I am most disappointed with the Police and Prosecution.”

The question of who to report cases of sexual violence or harassment involving school children also raised the issue of the lack of school psychologists in Kosovo’s public education system. School psychologists can often be an important confidant for pupils, but currently only 57 specialised psychologists cover more than 1,000 schools across the country.

The debate also focused on sexual harassment in higher education. Suzana Manxhuka-Kerliu, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Prishtina, said that her faculty has taken measures to tackle cases of sexual harassment, which have already yielded results.

She identified the case of an assistant professor who was sacked after his inappropriate behaviour was reported by a student.

“He was sending her messages late at night expressing his feelings about her appearance,” Manxhuka told BIRN. “I reported this to the Council of the Faculty of Medicine, we discussed the issue and took the decision to terminate the assistant professor’s contract.”

Manxhuka stated that this case should encourage all those subjected to sexual harassment or sexual violence to report cases and help tackle sexual violence at the University of Prishtina.

“One of the values of our universities should be gender equality and the fight against sexism, and sexual harassment in any form,” she said “We at the Faculty of Medicine are ready to stop sexual harassment and encourage students and staff to report cases.”