In a press conference today, Vetevendosje officials accused the Constitutional Court of bias for ruling that the government’s decision for salary increase does not represent a constitutional violation. MP Albulena Haxhiu said the decision of the government of Kosovo for increasing its staff’s salaries is a criminal act and it interferes in the Assembly’s competencies.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, admitted that for the time being, transformation of the Kosovo Security Force to Kosovo Armed Forces is almost impossible due to Serbian List’s refusal. “The constitutional basis as an option is nearly impossible at the moment as it requires two-thirds of qualified votes,” Haradinaj said today.  “At a certain moment we will be forced to set up the Kosovo army through a law,” he added.

Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure, Pal Lekaj, said today that the construction works on the Decan-Plave road are taking place outside the Special Protective Zone of the Orthodox Monastery and added that the issue has needlessly become politicised. At a joint press conference with Montenegro’s Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Osman Nurkovic, in Pristina, Lekaj said Kosovo institutions are aware of the responsibilities that derive from the Ahtisaari package but gave assurances that the works are being carried out outside the SPZ.

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Agim Veliu, called for new parliamentary elections as the only way to resolve the current “institutional crisis”. At the roundtable between representatives of parliamentary parties hosted by Vetevendosje this time, Veliu said the event is being used for other interests and not the more pressing matters such as setting the date for new elections. “We as LDK consider the country to be in an institutional crisis because neither the government nor the assembly is functioning.

Pristina Mayor and new leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) said the party will become one of the major players in the political landscape in Kosovo but that his priority remains leading Pristina municipality. Ahmeti said the new PSD leadership is open to cooperation with former colleagues from Vetevendosje.

Head of EU Office and Special Representative, Nataliya Apostolova, said in a lecture before Pristina high school pupils that European Union is Kosovo’s biggest partner in its integration path and that the EU will pay particular attention to the education field. She admitted that the EU integration of will be a lengthy and challenging process but that Kosovo stands to benefit extremely.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has filed a lawsuit against the municipality of Zvecan regarding the construction of the so-called “Sunny Valley” neighbourhood. Minister Albena Reshitaj said the ministry asked the municipality to present technical documentation regarding the project on a number of occasions but has received nothing.

The government of Kosovo approved today the new draft of the Criminal Code. On presenting the bill, Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri said the new code will be in harmony with EU standards and that it also provides basis for Kosovo stepping up its fight against corruption and organised crime. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj hailed the draft saying it confirms Kosovo’s commitment to combat crime and corruption.

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, called on Vetevendosje MPs and its splinter group to support the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. He it’s absolutely paramount for MPs to attend the demarcation session on Tuesday and noted that any absence would send a message in favour of Kosovo’s isolation. “I urge Visar [Ymeri] and other colleagues to consider where we have come. If in moments like these we don’t understand our role, I don’t know how processes will reflect,” Haradinaj said.

Kosovo's Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, said after a meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister, Karl Erjavec, that Slovenia will support Kosovo in its efforts to gain membership of international organisations, particularly Interpol and UNESCO. Pacolli said Slovenia remains an important partner for Kosovo.