With 81 votes in favor, 28 against and 1 abstention, Kosovo Assembly approved the formation of 14 parliamentary committees. Representatives from the opposition parties expressed their dissatisfaction with the allocation of these committees. Speaker of the Parliament, Kadri Veseli said that the number of committees can be changed, but it is required to have a two-thirds vote.
The minority communities in Kosovo lack capacities to participate effectively in policy and decision-making processes, writes Koha citing a report published by the European Union Office in Prishtina. The report also notes that the minority communities face additional barriers due to their continued marginalization, and, their lack of integration in society and institutions.
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, held today her annual speech before the Kosovo Assembly MPs. In a special session, boycotted by the opposition, Jahjaga listed the progress and challenges Kosovo faced in 2014.
A court in Pristina announced the verdict on the case relating to the misappropriation of 1.4 million euro through the Interior Ministry’s biometric passport production tender. The accused, Natali Veliaj, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined with 25,000, Fisnik Balaj, faces a prison sentence of 11 years and 20,000 euro fine and Betim Blakaj has been given five years in prison and 10,000 euro fine. Veliaj and Blakaj were found guilty on charges of organized crime and money laundering and of leading a criminal enterprise.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa met today with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Farid Zarif, all media report. Zarif said that UNMIK will cooperate with the new government of Kosovo and will implement a pragmatic and constructive approach.
The Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS) organized a round-table in north Mitrovica, to discuss possible solutions for the mining complex Trepca, Koha reports. All the participants agreed that these solutions should not to be imposed by politics.
During the round-table discussions, it was said that the activation of Trepca in full capacity will be a major challenge for Kosovo, and it is a project that affects not only the economy but also many other areas.
The Kosovo Football Federation (KFF) is expected to become a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) very soon through a UN resolution, an unnamed KFF official told the newspaper Sport Plus. “A resolution has been prepared at the United Nations which says that neither Serbia nor any other country should prevent Kosovo sports teams from gaining membership in international arenas”, the source said, adding that this will then enable Kosovo to join UEFA and subsequently FIFA.
Flaka Surroi, publicist and owner of Koha Group, writes that there is very little enthusiasm among the citizens, for the new government of Kosovo. Instead of improving the image of Kosovo as needed, especially after Marty and Williamson, Kosovo has gone public with a new face, but “a face out of darkness”, argues Surroi. According to her, the word "Minister" has now become synonymous with maximum political aspiration in Kosovo.
Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, is set to travel to Brussels today to take part in the upcoming round of dialogue with Belgrade on the issues of energy, vehicle border insurance, licensing of companies in the north and import of pharmaceutical drugs. “Trilateral meetings facilitated by the EU are expected to take place on 16 and 17 December 2014”, reads a statement issued by the Kosovo Government.
Koha’s Brussels based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, writes in an opinion piece, that Hashim Thaci, besides being Isa Mustafa’s partner in the power-sharing coalition, seems that he is also his political mentor. Palokaj writes that Thaci should be a phenomenon in Europe, who, gives promises that are not fulfilled and he continues with new promises, while no one asks why.