• Council of Ministers gives Kosovo green light to visa free travel (media)
• Lajcak visit to Kosovo, “my expectations were met” (media)
• EU hopeful that Kosovo and Serbia will reach deal this month (Reuters)
• Next high-level meeting on Saturday 18 March in Ohrid (eeas.europa.eu)
• Vucic: I won’t sign Serbia’s capitulation; Kurti won’t form Association (Telegrafi)
• Southeast, Central Europe, except Kosovo, sees freedoms decline (BIRN)
• PDK in favor of Association, with three conditions (Koha)
• Kosovo women still struggling to win property rights (BIRN)
• Session of ex-KSF member accused of wounding two Serbs, postponed (Koha)
• Police forced to use firearm against a person that refused to stop his car (Kallxo)
• Attacks on Bogujevci, Citaku: Outrageous and unacceptable (Gazeta Metro)

Council of Ministers gives Kosovo green light to visa free travel (media)

The long-awaited decision of visa liberalization for Kosovars has been approved by the EU’s Council of Ministers. The decision brings to an end a decade-long wait for visa free travel within Schengen. The EU’s Council of Ministers approved its position on the liberalization of visas for Kosovo during its first reading on Thursday, Prishtina Insight reported on Thursday.

The European Commission, who originally negotiated visa liberalization with Kosovo, first recommended the Republic’s readiness in 2018. The European Parliament concurred with the opinion of the Commission in 2020, and it was left to the governing body of the EU to also have their say.

“The new rules will allow Kosovo passport holders to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period,” states the Council press release.

The exemption from visa requirements will apply from the date when the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) comes into operation, or from 1 January 2024, whichever comes first.

The rules must be approved by the European Parliament. They will then be signed and published in the EU Journal.

“On the basis of this assessment, the Commission proposed to lift the visa requirement for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. The exemption from the visa requirement will ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is under the same visa regime,” the press release states.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani took to Twitter to “welcome today’s unanimous @EUCouncil decision on the much-deserved visa liberalization for the people of Kosovo. Having met the criteria 5 years ago, this overdue process is nonetheless a gain for Europe’s youngest citizens and country. Thank you to all our partners who stood by us!”

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti tweeted: “One step closer: Pleased by EU Council's unanimous decision today in favor of visa-free travel for our citizens. The long wait is coming to an end. We look forward to the upcoming final steps by the European Parliament.”

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a Facebook post: “A small step, unjustly overdue for years, was finally taken by the EU, which after all is removing a stain of shame of treating Kosovo as being a country outside Europe! Congratulation not only to Kosovo, but the European Union as well.”

Lajcak visit to Kosovo, “my expectations were met” (media)

One of the leading stories in the media on Thursday was the visit to Kosovo by EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak. After meeting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Lajcak said that the meeting “met his expectations” on the implementation roadmap of the European proposal. He said that he knows the position of one party. “We need to know what the steps are, the sequences and timelines, otherwise it will be only politically binding but not formally binding. The purpose of my visit to Pristina is to discuss the implementation of this document with prime minister Kurti and I can say that we had a constructive, important and very useful discussion,” Lajcak said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in his meeting with Lajcak that he expects the agreement for normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia to be signed at the upcoming meeting in Ohrid, on March 18. A press release issued by Kurti’s office after the meeting quotes him as saying: “Prime Minister Kurti emphasized his and the Government’s willingness to be a constructive, responsible, and committed party to the principles of liberal democracy and the EU values. In this spirit, he also expressed his expectation that the EU will work towards the successful conclusion of the process of the Agreement on Normalization through its official signature at the next meeting”.

Lajcak said in an interview with ATV that two days after the 18 March meeting in Ohrid, on 20 March EU ministers of foreign affairs will meet in Brussels, while on 23 and 24 March, expected to convene the EU Council, leaders, presidents, and prime ministers of EU Member States. “The EU High Representative Josep Borrell will inform them about the progress or lack thereof,” he said.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said after meeting Lajcak that they discussed the latest developments in the dialogue with Serbia and that Kosovo remains committed to a process that contributes to long-term peace, security, and sustainable prosperity in the region.

Osmani said that “the annex on implementation of the basic agreement agreed in Brussels should be in the spirit of the principles approved at the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, namely, the inviolability of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitutionality and functionality of the state of Kosovo”.

A press release issued by Osmani’s office quotes her as saying that Kosovo remains a constructive part of the dialogue process and in coordination with its partners while reiterating that the final say on an agreement should rest with the Assembly of Kosovo, in accordance with constitutional procedures.

EU hopeful that Kosovo and Serbia will reach deal this month (Reuters)

The European Union expects former wartime foes Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final deal next week on normalising relations after both endorsed a peace plan, the bloc's envoy said on Thursday.

The nations' leaders are due to meet on March 18 in North Macedonia to discuss implementation of an 11-point EU plan after agreeing last month that its contents needed no further talks.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising brought an end to repressive Serbian rule.

But Belgrade still regards Kosovo as a breakaway province and flare-ups between Belgrade-backed minority Kosovo Serbs and central government have stoked fears of a return to conflict.

The EU plan does not commit Serbia to acknowledging an independent Kosovo but it would recognise documents such as passports, diplomas and licence plates. Serbia would also not block Kosovo's membership of international bodies.

A tough issue for talks on the implementation annex, where both sides are looking to placate domestic critics, is a proposed association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.

"We hope that we will be able to get one paper, one document that will be agreed on the 18th," EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak told reporters after meeting Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

He was to travel next to Serbia for talks with President Aleksandar Vucic.

Next high-level meeting on Saturday 18 March in Ohrid (eeas.europa.eu)

On Saturday 18 March, High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell will convene a High-level Meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti confirmed their participation.

The High Representative and EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak will hold separate meetings with the leaders, followed by a joint trilateral meeting. The meeting will focus on finalising the Implementation Annex of the EU Agreement on the path to normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Vucic: I won’t sign Serbia’s capitulation; Kurti won’t form Association (Telegrafi)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that it is difficult to achieve progress on the implementation of the agreement on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Speaking on behalf of Kurti, Vucic said he is certain that the Kosovo Prime Minister will not form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “Kurti is determined not to form the Association. Visa liberalisation is an encouragement for Kurti. Lajcak will arrive in Belgrade on Monday, and we will try to find a way toward progress on the normalisation of relations,” Vucic said in an interview with TV station Happy.

“I don’t intend to sign the capitulation of Serbia. There will be no capitulation or surrender. I told everyone that Serbia will not agree with Kosovo joining the United Nations, and we will not recognise its independence in one way or another,” Vucic said.

Southeast, Central Europe, except Kosovo, sees freedoms decline (BIRN)

The 2023 annual “Freedom in the World” report by rights organisation Freedom House says several countries in Southeast and Central Europe, except for Kosovo, saw a decline in freedoms.

The report, which is also the 50th anniversary edition, registered the 17th consecutive year of falls in global freedom but remained hopeful for the coming years.

“The global struggle for democracy approached a possible turning point in 2022. The gap between the number of countries that registered overall improvements in political rights and civil liberties and those that registered overall declines was the narrowest it has ever been through 17 consecutive years of deterioration,” the report on Thursday said.

Turkey registered one of the worst declines in terms of freedoms. It is classified as “not free” and lost 29 points in its aggregate score in the last 10 years without hope of recovery as long as Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to rule the country.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3F8rUnJ

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti took to Twitter to say that “according to the Freedom House report released today, Kosova ranks 1st in the Western Balkans, 2nd in Europe and 3rd in the world for progress made in political rights and civil liberties. We improved our overall score by four points. We stand committed to advancing our democracy”.

PDK in favor of Association, with three conditions (Koha)

Secretary of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Bernard Nikaj, said on Thursday that this party is in favor of the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities if three conditions are met. He told KTV that the Association should be formed alongside the process of mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, it should be formed in line with the ruling of the Constitutional Court and that it must not have competencies of a third tier of government.

Nikaj said that with these conditions, the PDK encouraged the government to enter the process of negotiations with Serbia, and that the current product of the agreement is not centered around mutual recognition.

Kosovo women still struggling to win property rights (BIRN)

Women in Kosovo continue to struggle winning property rights due to not being included in inheritance and even giving up property rights due to old patriarchal customs, which leave women financially dependent on the men of the families and create obstacles for women entrepreneurs.

Kosovo’s legal framework gives equal property rights to men and women, but only 19 per cent of properties are owned by women, according to the Chief Executive of the Agency for Gender Equality, Edi Gusia.

Gusia told BIRN’s show Kallxo Pernime on Wednesday that one of the factors hindering registration is the inadequate issue of death certificates of parents, where sometimes only male children are included in the certificate.

“Sometimes it happens intentionally, where the family secretly remove [female heirs] from the inheritance, but sometimes the girls themselves give up their inheritance,” said Gusia, explaining that issuing the correct death certificate would facilitate tracing the entire family line of succession.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Zzm6Mk

Session of ex-KSF member accused of wounding two Serbs, postponed (Koha)

The court session in the trial of former member of the Kosovo Security Force, Azem Kurtaj, accused of wounding two Serb youths in the village of Gotovusha, the municipality of Shterpce, has been postponed for next week. The chairman of the presiding panel adopted the request of the damaged party to postpone the session because documents were not available in Serbian language. The defendant’s attorneys also asked for his release from detention, but the request was denied by the court.

Police forced to use firearm against a person that refused to stop his car (Kallxo)

The news website reports that a Kosovo Police office was forced to use his firearm against a vehicle in the village of Banje, the municipality of Zubin Potok, in order to avoid the threat against his life and the lives of his colleague. Kosovo Police said in a press release that police officers at the checkpoint, according to procedures, signaled the vehicle with flashlight to stop for a routine control, but the suspected person (driver of the vehicle) after noticing the police officials who signaled him to stop, accelerated the speed to evade the control threatening directly the lives of police officers, whereas one of the police officers aimed at avoiding the direct threat of his life and other police officers was forced to use the firearm. The suspected vehicle fled the scene through illegal roads, and police units are taking operational and investigation actions to identify the arrest the suspected person/s involved in this case.

Attacks on Bogujevci, Citaku: Outrageous and unacceptable (Gazeta Metro)

During the Kosovo Assembly session on Thursday and discussions on the draft law on reproductive health and medically assisted conception, MP Saranda Bogujevci gave her arguments that it would be normal for her not to have a husband in her life but also normal to have a child. She said that for her it is more important to be served with what science has discovered so far rather than a man determine for her what to do. An MP from the same party, Eman Rrahmani, said the draft law is against nature created by God. “We should not stop children from having a father. I don’t think we should be making such comparisons, whereby we stimulate a process that goes against nature and what was created by God,” he argued. He also said he did not want to take part in the discussion and asked the minister to withdraw the draft law. MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, reacted to this, saying that attacks on social media against Bogujevci were outrageous and denigrating and that they show “how much anger has been cultivated in our society”. “With intolerable ease there are insults and curses against one another only because of different opinions,” Citaku said.