Kosovo’s Minister for European Integration, Bekim Collaku, submitted today the last comprehensive report of the Kosovo institutions on meeting the criteria for visa liberalization. Collaku submitted the report to the EU Special Representative in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, to forward it to the European Commission. Collaku said that the comprehensive report that Kosovo submitted to the EU will serve as a solid foundation to successfully conclude this very important process. “We need to continue with strict implementation of legislation covered in the guide.

Indeksonline reports that the Mitrovica Basic Court has sentenced Sami Lushtaku, the Mayor of Skenderaj/Srbica Municipality, to 12 years in prison, and Sylejman Selimi, one of the commanders of the former Kosovo Liberation Army, to six years in prison. Lushtaku and Selimi are part of a group that has been charged with committing war crimes at a detention center in the Drenica region.

The Serbian Minister of Justice, Nikola Selakovic, will visit Mitrovica North today and meet members of the Serbian parallel judicial system in northern Kosovo. According to Serbian media, Selakovic is expected to put pressure on Serb judges and prosecutors after the latter hesitated to apply for the positions of judges and prosecutors at the Mitrovica Basic Court and Prosecution, following the agreement on the judiciary reached between Pristina and Belgrade.

Sokol Bashota, the Mayor of Klina municipality, today strongly condemned the recent thefts on Serb properties in this municipality and called on law enforcement authorities to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Bashota also said that law enforcement authorities should conduct more frequent controls in order to increase the level of security for all residents of the Klina municipality regardless of their ethnic background.

The Presidency of the Kosovo Assembly today did not include on the agenda of 21 May the constitutional amendments required for the establishment of the special court that will address war crimes allegations. Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli told reporters after the meeting that additional consultations were needed to reach a consensus among the parliamentary parties. “The most important thing is to have international partnership and a national consensus,” Veseli said. “Allow me to reiterate that Kosovo’s economic development should be our priority.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli said Kosovo authorities are waiting for an official reply from the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) regarding the situation of the men arrested during the armed incident in Kumanovo last week. Veseli said the Assembly has authorized the Kosovo-based Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) to monitor the situation of the persons detained by FYROM authorities.

Kosovo Police has launched a search operation this morning in the homes of the persons involved in the recent events in Kumanovo, FYROM. Homes were searched in Decan and Pristina but no family member was interviewed.

The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Jennifer Brush, during a visit to Kline/Klina on Wednesday noted her concern for the number of incidents in recent weeks targeting returnees. She urged the authorities to investigate swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to take measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.  On 11 May in Klina, Bogosav Dabizljevic, Serb returnee, was attacked and robbed by several people and suffered three broken ribs during the incident.

Kosovo’s European Integration Minister, Bekim Collaku, said on Tuesday that the visa liberalization for Kosovo is a priority and that this issue is to the final stage. "Kosovo has only three weeks' time to fulfill the criteria for visa liberalization roadmap," Collaku said. He stressed that apart from the visa liberalization priority, other priorities for Kosovo include the membership in the EU and NATO. He added that the people of Kosovo must not abuse the visa liberalization once it is granted to Kosovo. “We all have to respect the rules,” Collaku said.

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuci, today participated in the closing conference of the Project Against Economic Crime in Kosovo - PECK, where it was launched an evaluation report on compliance with international standards in the field of combating money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism.