Albanian Language Media:

• Varhelyi: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to successfully conclude on 2020 (Koha)
• Cakaj calls for Kosovo's membership to CoE (Koha)
• Hoxhaj: Appointment of former Russian spy as rapporteur, a serious blow to CoE values (media)
• Peter Beyer wins votes for Kosovo rapporteur (RTK)
• Mustafa: New KIA head should be nominated by future PM (Gazeta Express)
• The supreme court to decide today on LVV candidates' appeal (Kallxo.com)

Serbian Language Media:

• German elected as new Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur for Kosovo (Sputnik)
• Kondratiev: The mentality of Albanians in Kosovo needs to be understood (RTS, Sputnik)
• Rasic of the Coalition Freedom appeals election commission ruling (KoSSev, N1, KiM radio, Beta)
• Serbian List: Chauvinistic farce is continued (Kosovo online)
• Ljajic: Mini Schengen to ease economic problems (Beta, N1)
• Insajder's documentary "Above the Fold" premiered in Pristina (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)
• Pec: ''Citizens seek solutions'' - language, isolation, lack of youth development strategy… (Kontakt plus radio)
• Godfrey: Bytyqi brothers’ case important, but not the most important issue in Serbia-US relations (RTS)
• "Mini Schengen" deepens divisions between Kosovo and Albania? (Kosovo-online, KoSSev, B92)
• Delegation of Serbian List in two-day visit to Berlin (TV Most)
• PSG leader Trifunovic: Denial won’t resolve Kosovo issue (N1, Vreme, Danas)

International:

• The Clock Ticks for Albania’s ‘Demographic Dividend’ (Balkan Insight)
• EU Enlargement Nominee Eyes 2020 Serbia-Kosovo Deal (Balkan Insight)
• EU’s gatekeeper laments bloc’s message to would-be Balkan members (Financial Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Chopping wood to make ends meet (Prishtina Insight)
• Heldt to Kosovo youth: Focus on vocational training (Kosovapress)

   

Albanian Language Media

  Varhelyi: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to successfully conclude on 2020 (Koha)

European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing session of Commissioner-designate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi from Hungary.

Varhelyi said Western Balkans would be a priority during his mandate. “We need to make the EU more functional but this should not hinder the enlargement process,” he said.

Speaking about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Varhelyi said: “I will work together with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to bring the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to a successful close in 2020.”  

Cakaj calls for Kosovo's membership to CoE (Koha)

Albania's acting Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj called for Kosovo's membership to the Council of Europe at an event organised to mark the 70th anniversary of the organisation's establishment. 

"We strongly underlined the fact that the Republic of Kosovo's membership in this organisation is not only extremely important for the protection of the rights of its citizens, but an added value for the Council of Europe," Cakaj said. 

Hoxhaj: Appointment of former Russian spy as rapporteur, a serious blow to CoE values (media)

Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo and deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Enver Hoxhaj reacted to reports that a former member of the Russian intelligence service could be appointed Council of Europe rapporteur for Kosovo.

"Today, the CoE can make a choice between  a former Russian spy and a respected member of Bundestag to be a rapporteur for Kosovo. This choice is very important for the Balkans. Electing GRU’s agents in such positions would a blow against CoE values and mandate," Hoxhaj wrote on Twitter. 

In an earlier post, he said that for years, Russia has misused Council of Europe as a platform against Kosovo. "This appointment wouldn’t be a coincidence."

 Peter Beyer wins votes for Kosovo rapporteur (RTK)

German Bundestag MP Peter Beyer defeated Russia's Aleksey Kondratyev in the race for Kosovo's Council of Europe rapporteur.

During today's vote at the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, he won by 33 votes to Kondratyev, who received six of them.

The decision to elect a rapporteur on Kosovo in the CoE will also go through other mechanisms of this Council, but today's vote counts as the most important.

RTK reported earlier that Russian Aleksey Kondratyev was involved in an attempted kidnapping. There has also been a petition from civil society organizations who sent a letter requesting for Alexei Kondratiev not to be elected as Rapporteur for Kosovo, due to his earlier actions in violation of human rights.

Mustafa: New KIA director should be nominated by future PM (Gazeta Express)

Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) stated that the head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA), should be nominated by the next prime minister.

“The law foresees deadlines. But I think a transitional solution should be found that will ensure that the next prime minister along with the president nominate the new director," Mustafa said. .

Shpend Maxhuni resigned from the post of KIA Director on November 6.

The supreme court to decide today on LVV candidates' appeal (Kallxo.com)

On Tuesday, three MP candidates from the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) appealed against the decision of the Electoral Appeals and Appeals Panel (ECAP) to invalidate votes coming from Serbia and order to recount votes at 1472 polling stations. The Supreme Court of Kosovo is expected to decide today on this complaint.

"Today will be decided on the votes coming from Serbia," said Enver Peci, President of the Supreme Court. The ECAP decision ordered the Central Election Commission to remove about 3,000 votes coming from Serbian state from the November 7 final result. ECAP assessment was that they did not arrive from Serbia in the manner required by the law. 

   

Serbian Language Media

  German elected as new Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur for Kosovo (Sputnik)

German candidate Peter Beyer has been elected as a new Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) special rapporteur for Kosovo, Sputnik reports, referring to the PACE post on Twitter congratulating Beyer on his appointment.

‘Congratulations to @Peter_Beyer from Germany, who has just been appointed by the @PACE_Political Affairs Committee as its rapporteur for the situation in #Kosovo * pic.twitter.com/sHuUdroQ8H’ PACE Twitter profile reads.

Kondratiev: The mentality of Albanians in Kosovo needs to be understood (RTS, Sputnik)

A candidate for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly special rapporteur for Kosovo, Alexei Kondratiev said that Pristina’s objection to his election is not a novelty adding beforehand the mentality of Kosovo Albanians needs to be understood, RTS reports.

In a statement to Sputnik, Kondratiev noted that since the arrival of the Russian units as part of KFOR in Kosovo, Albanians had a very negative attitude towards Russians, and tried to demonstrate it in every way they were not ready for dialogue and cooperation. Albanians, he added, preferred American contingent and that is why this is not a novelty to him.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy should decide on Thursday on the election of a new rapporteur for Kosovo, and Kondratiev is one of the three candidates. His candidacy caused numerous negative reactions in Pristina, RTS recalled.

Commenting on negative reactions from Pristina, Kondratiev said in his opinion, the most important thing is that during this year much has changed in the administrative structure in Pristina.

Some of the changes, he added, directly violate UN SC Resolution 1244, mentioning as an example the establishment of the so-called ministry of defense, which is one of the crucial points in the relations of Belgrade, Pristina and the UN.

“That is why Kosovo authorities with current pan-Albanian stances of the opposition do not wish any presence of Russians in Kosovo,” Kondratiev said.

He added he would need to visit Kosovo but recalled there were situations when Kosovo Albanians did not permit several rapporteurs of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly to enter Kosovo, and they did not want to influence Pristina in any way.

“Therefore, when we talk about democracy and transparency, respect of human rights and the rule of law, all sides must respect what was written in the Constitution of the Council of Europe. Self-declared Kosovo, although not a member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, expresses wish to become so and therefore it should support the fundamental values of this organization,” Kondratiev said.

Talking about the platform of his future mandate, he said the starting point would be the rule of law and that all groups of the population in Kosovo must have equal rights, regardless of ethnic or religious background.

“There are today, unresolved criminal cases and offences and it should be clarified why the rule of law has not been implemented in these cases. Beforehand, we must carry out obligations that were set before, as well as compare the current situation with the one in the previous reports, to see the dynamics of developments and where it goes,” Kondratiev said.  

Rasic of the Coalition Freedom appeals election commission ruling (KoSSev, N1, KiM radio, Beta)

Kosovo Serb politician Nenad Rasic appealed the Central Election Commission decision to annul more than 3,700 votes cast by displaced Serbs in Serbia, the KoSSev news portal reported on Thursday.

The Commission ruled to annul the ballots brought in from Serbia saying that they would not be considered in the final tally because they were not posted in Serbia but were brought to Kosovo and mailed from a post office in Pristina.  

Rasic, who filed the appeal on behalf of the Sloboda (Freedom) coalition, said he was defending the interests of voters in Serbia. “I know those votes change the situation, but I am protecting long-term interests with this appeal,” he said.

The decision to annul those votes changes the final tally and could lead to another coalition entering the Kosovo parliament and to the two parties that were set to form a new government losing seats.

See at: https://bit.ly/34Wd2nW Serbian List: Chauvinistic farce is continued (Kosovo online)

The Serbian List issued today a press release, where it points out that ''chauvinistic farce with the votes of displaced Serbs is being continued, in the form of lies and accusations for political manipulations, because of which there is no official confirmation of the results even 40 days after the elections,'' reports portal Kosovo online.   

''After all possible malfeasance and pressures, the latest lie is the claim that displaced Serbs, who have passed away, have voted. In doing so, the Albanian media deliberately plants such untruths in support of the chauvinism of the Albanian parties, and as a ‘proof’ they plant lists of persons whose right to vote was recognized by Pristina, which is not a proof that those persons voted,'' the statement reads. 

Serbian List also underlined that the media deliberately forget to mention the fact that in the voter list there is almost 500,000 voters more than the estimated number of adult citizens in Kosovo, which presents a space for manipulation with Albanian votes.

The Serbian List also states that after hearing lies about poisoned envelopes with Serbian votes, watching scenes ''from sci-fi  films and members of the Central Election Commission in hazmat suits counting Serbian votes '', a ''string of lies of Albanian politicians and some media is continued, all with the aim to cover up the inability of Kosovo institutions at the expense of Serbian people' '-that the votes from October 6 elections are not counted after almost 40 days.

The list opined that ''Serbs are once again the culprits'', that Albanian politicians use in front of the international community as the object of their internal power struggle, and the Serbian List most strongly condemn such behaviour. The Serbian List recalled that after each new vote count it had more votes and its political opponents less.

Ljajic: 'Mini Schengen' to ease economic problems (Beta, N1, Politika)

Serbian Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic said that the region’s economic shortcomings are the main reason behind the initiative to form the so-called 'mini Schengen' between Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania.

In a piece written for Belgrade daily Politika, the minister said that infrastructure development in the Western Balkans is lagging behind the European Union to a great extent and added that “it will take 33 years of investments at this rate to reach the current level of infrastructure in the EU”. He added that the share of high technologies in exports among the countries of the region ranges from 1.7 percent in Albania to 7.8 percent in Serbia while that percentage in Czech Republic stands at 20 percent and at 19 percent in Slovenia.

According to Ljajic, regional integration is good for Serbia because it has a surplus of some two billion Euro in trade with the countries of the Western Balkans. “There is no more convincing argument to turn to regional cooperation than the fact that we exported almost as much to Bosnia-Herzegovina as we did to the US, China, Russia and Turkey combined,” he wrote.

He said the initiative to link the economies of the Western Balkans is accompanied by too much politics and too little pragmatism and rational approaches and added that it certainly does not mean a new alliance or a new Yugoslavia.

See at: https://bit.ly/32JGsUX Insajder's documentary "Above the Fold" premiered in Pristina (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)

Documentary "Above the Fold" in production of Insajder premiered last night In Pristina.  The film deals with the safety of journalists in Kosovo and the impunity of crimes against them. The documentary was produced in cooperation and with the support of the OSCE.

Between 1998 and 2005, 15 media workers were killed and disappeared in Kosovo, and these cases have not been solved for nearly 20 years.

"The impunity over the attacks on journalists is alarming. Greater efforts must be made to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Jan Braathu, OSCE ambassador to Kosovo, said at the film premiere. He noted that better coordination was established in prosecutors' offices and police, but that this was not enough.

The film follows several cases of attacks on journalists and reactions of those in charge. The system of impunity that exists almost all over the world in Kosovo is particularly dangerous because of the recent wartime past, as well as the division of a society where, due to the language barrier, colleagues do not understand each other. 

During and after the Kosovo conflict, media workers disappeared and were killed. Only in recent years, thanks primarily to the efforts of the Serbian Association of Journalists in Kosovo, but also to the Association of Kosovo Journalists, as well as to the OSCE mission, the cases of the killed and disappeared have been uncovered and now it is known that 15 Serb and Albanian journalists have disappeared and killed from 1998 to 2005.

A documentary by Senka Vlatkovic-Odavic will be aired on Kosovo's RTK, as well as in Serbia on TV N1 as part of the new Insajder's series on Wednesday, November 20th.

Pec: ''Citizens seek solutions'' - language, isolation, lack of youth development strategy… (Kontakt plus radio)

Language barriers, lack of a functional youth development strategy, low percentage of those who voluntarily participate in multi-ethnic activities are just some of the problems that plague young people from the Serbian community, concluded at the conference "Citizens Seek Solutions" in Pec, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Another in a series of conferences, ''Citizens Seek Solutions'', conducted by the NGO Center for Minority Communities Rights, with the support of the Kosovo Open Society Foundation, was dedicated to young people.

The Director of Culture, Youth and Sports in the Municipality of Pec, Engelbert Zefaj, believes that young people from the Serbian community are more vulnerable than others, and cites the reasons.

"What is most noticeable to the Serb community and young people is that they feel isolated. For me, that is the biggest problem and an initial problem, because if we manage to make them fell no longer isolated, we might even get into these three major problems. How can we ensure that they are not isolated? I think we should solve this problem together. We as an institution should offer as many initiatives as they can take part in," Zefaj said.

For the member of the Local Action Council for Youth in the Municipality of Istok, Marko Memarovic, the main obstacle is communication, or language, when it comes to inter-ethnic youth relations.

"If I go (to a seminar) today and did not cope at the seminar, let's say because of the language barrier, or because of something else, I just wouldn't have a nice opinion about the whole thing. But if I go a second time, even a third time, I will go into that story, so in the end I will speak to these young people in English, so in the end I will also want to socialize with other communities in Kosovo," Memarovic said. 

The departure of young people and the lack of a functional youth strategy are seen by Dejan Repanovic, executive director of the Center for Minority Communities Rights, as the key to solving the basic problems of youth in Serb communities.

“I think municipalities, or the government should come up with a strategy for longer-term development when it comes to young people. I think young people would be more involved in any activities if there were some donors who could give them self-employment grants. Because, according to the survey we are currently conducting, where young people aged 15 to 25 were participants, over 60% said that they would start their own business tomorrow,” Repanovic said.

The youth eventually outlined their problems, such as the inability to use the Youth Center in Osojane, built by the Ministry of Communities and Returns, and the difficulties of young Serbs in Pec who have problems in exercising their right to personal documents.

Godfrey: Bytyqi brothers’ case important, but not the most important issue in Serbia-US relations (RTS)

The US Ambassador to Belgrade, Anthony Godfrey said the case of Bytyqi brothers is not the most important issue in the US and Serbia relations, RTS reports. The Ambassador noted that nevertheless he has already talked about this issue with the Serbian officials, in order to reach a just solution, adding this issue is also important.

“My testimony before the Senate insisted on the justice for Bytyqi family. I have already raised this in cooperation with your state officials. There must be a just solution,” Godfrey said.

Speaking in a panel within NATO week event in Belgrade, Ambassador Godfrey said more should be done to inform Serbian citizens about the values of good relations between Serbia and the US, as well as what are the benefits of NATO membership for Serbia and the region.

“I always want to send positive messages; I would not talk about the danger of engagement with China and Russia but would rather draw attention to the benefits of a close cooperation with the US. Whenever relations of Serbia and US are good, relations in the region are good as well, and when they are bad, the situation is bad in the entire region,” Godfrey noted.

"Mini Schengen" deepens divisions between Kosovo and Albania? (Kosovo-online, KoSSev, B92)

Political experts say that the initiative "mini-Schengen Balkans" has deepened divisions between Kosovo and Albania. As they say, dozens of agreements signed between Kosovo and Albania survive on paper only, with experts blaming the authorities of both for their unwillingness to strengthen ties, Zeri daily writes, KoSSev reports.

Since the first meeting of the governments of Albania and Kosovo in January 2014, the governments have signed dozens of agreements aimed at joint strategic management with the Euro-Atlantic vision, while their implementation remains feeble.

The deepening of the divisions between Kosovo and Albania, according to experts of the political circumstances of Albania and Kosovo, further contributes to the inconsistency of official Tirana with Kosovo authorities on the so-called "mini-Schengen Balkans" initiative, Zeri writes.

In this joint initiative of the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo was left out, and was not invited to the first meeting, held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

See at: https://bit.ly/2XcnDZv Delegation of Serbian List in two-day visit to Berlin (TV Most)

Serbian List visiting Germany, Berlin for a series of meetings at Bundestag, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Chancellor Merkel, reports Zvecan based TV most, quoting Serbian list press release.  

''The delegation will first meet with a number of MPs in the Bundestag, then in the Office of Chancellor Angela Merkel, they will have a meeting with her advisor, Mr Lutenberg, while at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they will meet with Susanne Schütz, Director for South-East Europe, Turkey and EFTA States in the German Federal Foreign Office and her associates. Meetings with German officials will focus on current political circumstances and post-election situations, as well as the position of Serbian people in Kosovo.''

''Serbian List Vice President Dalibor Jevtic will meet with US Presidential Special Envoy and Ambassador to Germany Mr. Richard Grenell, on Thursday, November 14. Serbian List will subsequently inform the public about the details of the visits and meetings.''

PSG leader Trifunovic: Denial won’t resolve Kosovo issue (N1, Vreme, Danas)

Opposition Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) leader Sergej Trifunovic told the latest issue of Vreme weekly that the situation in Kosovo can’t be resolved through denial.

''The question is why Serbia shouldn’t recognize Kosovo if the conditions are met in terms of enabling the return of Serbs and respect for the rights, property, the position of the church, protection of cultural heritage which is priceless and other important issues,'' he said.

''We are fighting over territory where increasingly less people live, and I mean both Serbs and Albanians. Those are the real issues and that has to be the main idea for all state officials who are involved with or will be involved with the Kosovo issue,'' he added.

Speaking about the most likely next Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, Trifunovic said that he is an educated and principled man ''who looks like he can’t be bought, blackmailed or frightened''. ''I don’t think he will be an easier negotiator than the ones before him but at least he can be talked to. That was not possible with the people who killed children and removed body parts from Serbs,'' Trifunovic said.

See at: https://bit.ly/2CKNzC5    

International

  The Clock Ticks for Albania’s ‘Demographic Dividend’ (Balkan Insight)

Albania’s population is still comparatively young and the number of its elderly relatively low —but that could change fast.

Historically and socially, Albania is often the outlier in the Balkans. Until the fall of communism, that was the case in terms of demography too. But ever since, all the data has pointed inexorably in the same direction: Albanians are ageing, emigrating and having fewer children, just like people in the rest of the region.

“We are worried,” said Majlinda Nesturi, the director of social statistics at INSTAT, the country’s statistical agency.

Nesturi has every reason to be worried.

In 1958, Albanian women had an average of 6.5 children so the population exploded. Clearly no one wants to go back to that, but the last time Albania’s fertility rate was above the 2.1 level needed to replace the current population was in 2003.

See at: https://bit.ly/33M2l7B EU Enlargement Nominee Eyes 2020 Serbia-Kosovo Deal (Balkan Insight)

Questioned by MEPs, Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi said he would work to convince France and others of the merits of further expansion to the Western Balkans.

Hungary’s candidate for the post of European Union enlargement commissioner set out an ambitious plan for integration of the Balkan region before the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Thursday, including a target of 2020 to broker a deal to settle relations between Serbia and its former southern province, Kosovo.

Career diplomat Oliver Varhelyi has been nominated by the nationalist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to replace Austria’s Johannes Hahn in the role of steering enlargement policy, a policy further cast into doubt last month when France vetoed the start of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

See at: http://bit.ly/2qgg3ki EU’s gatekeeper laments bloc’s message to would-be Balkan members (Financial Times)

Johannes Hahn wants formal talks for North Macedonia and Albania to join union.

Johannes Hahn faced a problem when he was appointed as Brussels’ commissioner in charge of enlarging the EU: meeting that crucial part of his job description was out of the question.

His boss, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, had made clear the bloc would not acquire more members on his watch. It was an acknowledgment of the EU’s growing pains after it nearly doubled in size between 2004 and 2013. Mr Hahn’s job was to keep aspirant EU nations — mainly in the Balkans — on track to join without being able to offer them imminent membership. But even that goal has been left in disarray after EU member states could not agree last month to endorse his recommendation that North Macedonia and Albania should proceed to formal accession talks.

The decision has opened the EU to accusations of letting Balkan nations down and neglecting a strategic and volatile region — and Mr Hahn, in an interview at the end of his five years in charge of the enlargement portfolio, made clear his frustrations at what he deemed a strategic mistake.

The failure came at “exactly the time when we should really reinforce our efforts to become a stronger global player”, the conservative Austrian politician told the FT. Losing influence “in a region so close to us, historically and geographically” would leave a vacuum to be exploited by the EU’s strategic competitors like China and Russia, he said.

See at: https://on.ft.com/353WhqW    

Development/Humanitarian

  Chopping wood to make ends meet (Prishtina Insight)

The need for firewood to heat homes throughout the winter gives those at the margins of Kosovo’s economy a small window to try and earn some extra money, and search for some relief from the hardships of poverty and unemployment.

When fall begins, trucks and tractors loaded with chopped firewood are seen all over Kosovo, bringing the wood used to heat homes across the country during the cold winter months.

For the nearly 25,000 families under Kosovo’s social scheme receiving financial support from the government, having enough wood to survive the winter is a cause for celebration. And for many members of these families, firewood season also provides opportunities for temporary employment.

Mustafe Ahmeti from Prishtina is among those who try to earn some extra money in the fall chopping logs down into smaller sized pieces ready to heat the home. He offers his assistance in spots around the city where people can purchase firewood. Axe in hand, he is striving to ensure the survival of his family and seeking money for the purchase of medicine.

According to Ahmeti, his health has prevented him from finding full time employment, while a lack of speech therapy makes conversation difficult. “In two days time, I won’t have any medicine left,” he says. “If I can’t find a job in the next two days, I’ll have to go out and beg somewhere. I have terrible living conditions. I have two unemployed children. One of them is now 18, the other is 20 years old.”

Ahmeti tells Prishtina Insight that he can earn around three euros for every cubic meter of firewood he chops, but the highest sum of money he has earned in a day is 2.5 euros, and there are many days when he did not earn even a single penny.

“Sometimes we stay here all day, and when there is no work to do, it becomes meaningless,” he says with a smile, but his eyes are slowly welling up. “We were not even able to earn money for our own meal.”

Earlier this year, Ahmeti was removed from the state’s social scheme, though he does not know why. “I was denied the right to receive social assistance,” he says. “I used to receive 65 euros in assistance monthly, but it completely stopped shortly after the new year. Now I have to work [chopping wood] from time to time so I can buy medicine.”

Full article is available at: https://bit.ly/2rJ23jC Heldt to Kosovo youth: Focus on vocational training (Kosovapress)

German Ambassador to Kosovo Christian Heldt urged Kosovo youth to focus on vocational training as a way towards a sustainable future for Kosovo.

 In his remarks at a certification ceremony for participants of a training course, Heldt said that not everyone should focus on academic level education and that to prevent youth leaving Kosovo and bring foreign investments, new job opportunities need to be created.