UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 13, 2022

Osmani accepted EC report, says Kosovo is applying for EU this year (RTK)
Key findings of the 2022 Report on Kosovo (European Commission)
Brussels Rebukes Ex-Yugoslav States for Slow War Crimes Justice (BIRN)
Czech Republic confirms: Visa liberalization to be discussed on Thursday (RTK)
EU institutions "are not aware" of the Franco-German proposal (RTK)
IMF slightly cuts Kosovo's 2022 GDP growth projection to 2.7% (SeeNews)
NATO supports the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RTK)
Albanian PM Slams Kosovo Organ-Trafficking ‘Fabrications’ (BIRN)
Opposition: Today, Rama was the voice of Kosovo (media)
No progress on EU visa liberalisation for Kosovo (Euractiv)
Decani Monastery “welcomes" Kurti with conditions (RFE)
Kosovo moves to toughen penalties for rape, domestic violence (BIRN)

Osmani receives EC report, says Kosovo is applying for EU this year (RTK)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani said on Wednesday that Kosovo will formally apply for membership in the European Union, emphasizing the need to speed up this process, as well as the urgent need to complete the visa liberalization process for Kosovo citizens. She made these comments after receiving the European Commission's Report on Kosovo for 2022, from the Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog.

Osmani reiterated the commitment of Kosovo's institutions for membership in the European Union, as a state priority of Kosovo. In this regard, she mentioned the concrete steps taken by local institutions to strengthen the rule of law, democracy and human rights.

Szunyog said that this year's report recognizes Kosovo's overall progress, especially in the rule of law, both compared to last year and to countries in the region.

Meanwhile, on the topic of reforms, Osmani spoke about the will of the institutions of Kosovo to continue the intensive work in the fight against crime and corruption, and stressed the determination to strengthen the rule of law in all spheres.

She also emphasized that within the framework of the constitutional powers, she will be the guarantor of the realization of these priorities, as it has been until now.

The European Commission, in its progress report, repeats its previous position, that Kosovo has met all the criteria for visa liberalization, while it is requested that the Council of the EU urgently deal with this issue.

Key findings of the 2022 Report on Kosovo (European Commission)

The reporting period overlapped with the first full year in office of the Vetëvendosje-led government. Kosovo enjoyed political stability, with the government holding a solid majority in the Assembly.

The Assembly's work continued to be negatively affected by a polarised political atmosphere and difficulties in achieving decision-making quorum, even though the government relies on a strong majority. This is partly due to poor management of the legislative agenda on the part of the majority but also because opposition members of the Assembly (MPs) abstained from voting to prevent legislation from being adopted.

The 2021 municipal elections were overall well-organised, transparent and competitive. Kosovo's electoral process still needs comprehensive strengthening to address long-standing weaknesses throughout the electoral cycle, as identified in successive EU election observation missions since 2014.

The situation in the north of Kosovo remains challenging, in particular in terms of corruption, organised crime, and the conditions for freedom of expression.

There is some level of preparation in the area of public administration reform, but limited progress was made in this area. Notably, some key positive steps were taken by developing overarching strategies on public administration reform (PAR) and public finance management (PFM) for 2022-2026, adopting legislation to proceed with the first wave of streamlining of public agencies and launching the development of a new salary law. There has been little progress in implementing the existing legislative framework for public administration reform.

Kosovo is still at an early stage in developing a well-functioning judicial system. While some progress was made, the overall administration of justice continues to be slow, inefficient and vulnerable to undue influence. Steps were taken to start implementing the rule of law strategy and action plan and to reform the legislative framework governing the prosecutorial system by amending the Law on the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council. Justice reform should be addressed first and foremost by improving the implementation of existing tools to safeguard the integrity, the independence and the efficiency of the judicial system. The government's commitment to fully implement the Venice Commission's Opinion on the concept document on vetting of judges and prosecutors, in close cooperation with the EU, is welcome.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3TeacUE

Czech Republic confirms: Visa liberalization to be discussed on Thursday (RTK)

The issue of visa liberalization for Kosovo will be a topic of discussion at Thursday's meeting at the Council of Ministers of the European Union. The news has been confirmed for Radio Kosovo by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic.

"We can confirm that the Government of the Czech Republic, which presides over the Presidency of the European Union, has decided for discussion on the agenda, the issue of visa liberalization for Kosovo at the meeting of the Working Group, which will be held today (October 12) and tomorrow, October 13," reads the response of the Czech Government.

EU institutions "are not aware" of the Franco-German proposal (RTK)

The institutions of the European Union are not aware of the proposal that France and Germany have offered to Kosovo and Serbia.

Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said that if there is such a proposal, then the EU can "perhaps contribute" to it. "As the president [of Serbia, Aleksandar] Vucic explained, he accepted this proposal from France and Germany, so I think that it is better to talk about this issue with Berlin and Paris. We are not aware of such a proposal. Of course, if there is such a proposal, we would be more than interested in looking into it. Not, just to look at it, but maybe we could also contribute," Varhelyi said during a press conference after the publication of progress reports for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey.

However, the embassies of Germany and France in Kosovo have not confirmed that their respective countries have an initiative or document-proposal that could be a new framework for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for reaching a legally binding agreement on normalization of reports.

IMF slightly cuts Kosovo's 2022 GDP growth projection to 2.7% (SeeNews)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Kosovo's economy to grow by 2.7% this year, the global lender said, slightly cutting by 0.1 percentage points its April projection. Kosovo's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 3.5% next year, the IMF said in the October edition of its World Economic Outlook report published on Tuesday. Last year, Kosovo's economic output expanded by an estimated 9.5%, according to the report. Kosovo's average consumer price inflation is seen surging to 12% in 2022 from 3.3% last year, before slowing to 5% in 2023, the IMF said. The country's current account deficit, standing at 8.8% as a percentage of GDP in 2021, is forecast to expand to 10.9% in 2022 before shrinking to 8.7% in 2023. The IMF projects that the economy of the Emerging and Developing Europe area will stagnate in 2022, before slightly expanding by 0.6% in 2023. The region includes Bosnia, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The global economy is expected to expand by 3.2% in 2022 and by 2.7% in 2023 as it continues to face challenges due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, persistent and broadening inflation pressures and the slowdown in China, the IMF said.

NATO supports the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RTK)

The Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg stated that KFOR supports the diplomatic efforts of the European Union for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

"The Western Balkans is important for NATO, we have a history there," Stoltenberg said. "We've been there for many years."

He noted that the alliance has helped end two brutal wars during the 1990s. "We have our KFOR mission in Kosovo helping to ensure stability, the free movement of all communities in Kosovo, we are headquartered in Sarajevo, and we are also working closely with the European Union."

Stoltenberg made these statements before the meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels.

He stated that KFOR is in Kosovo to help ensure stability. "NATO troops in Kosovo help to support the diplomatic efforts of the European Union in the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue," he said.

"And we also work together with the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Stoltenberg stated that the two newest members of the alliance are Western Balkan countries, North Macedonia and Montenegro. "So, the Western Balkans is important for NATO and for this reason, we continue to focus on that region," Stoltenberg said.

Albanian PM Slams Kosovo Organ-Trafficking ‘Fabrications’ (BIRN)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama demanded a review of a 2011 Council of Europe report that accused senior Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas of war crimes, insisting that allegations of organ-trafficking were fabricated.

In a speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Albanian premier Edi Rama said that Swiss senator Dick Marty’s 2011 report for the Council of Europe, which made war crimes allegations against Kosovo Liberation Army officers, should be reviewed as “an issue of truth and justice”.

Rama said the report’s suggestion raised false suspicions that human organs were trafficked by senior KLA figures, and that the subsequent indictments of former KLA officers confirm that the claims were untrue.

“There is not a single word that clearly or implicitly mentions the issue of human organ-trafficking. It is an issue that does not exist and that is the reason I am here today,” he said.

He explained that the reason why Albania is reacting now to the 2011 report is because it was waiting for the formulation of the charges by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers war crimes court in The Hague.

“And that’s the reason I wasn’t here a year ago, or the year before that. Because we waited patiently to see if something would come out,” he added.

He described the organ-trafficking claims as a “fantasy fabricated in the Kremlin and in a very, very intelligent way, trafficked and smuggled into the channels of international politics and brought here to the temple of human rights”.

The Albanian Parliament in July adopted a resolution proposed by Rama’s ruling Socialist Party condemning Swiss senator Marty’s 2011 report for the Council of Europe and describing its claims as unfounded.