For the thousands of Kosovans who have left their country for Hungary in recent months, Vila Lira has stood as poetic reminder of the opportunities and risks of trying to sneak into the European Union.

by NEBI QENA, Associated Press - 17 February 2015

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Jubilant throngs gathered around gigantic letters spelling "NEWBORN," when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia seven years ago. Today, there's a new national symbol: The bus stop where hundreds of people gather every day to flee a country they've given up on.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi has stressed that stability can only come to the Balkans after Serbia formally recognizes the independence of Kosovo, but added that Kosovo and Serbia must move forward to normalize their relations.

Atmosphere in the European Commission indicates on a dose of discomfort there because nothing important took place between Serbia and the EU ever since of January 2014, said paper’s source familiar with the Brussels ‘affairs. According to the source, similar feeling is shared by most of the member states, but ‘nothing is happening’ still. Thus, it still remains unknown whether the first chapter in accession negotiations with the EU will open in the first half of the year.

This paper’s Brussels based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, writes that seven years after the declaration of independence, Kosovo is in a status quo position in relation to the European Union and NATO, despite the fact that the latter liberated Kosovo.

The United States Deputy Assistant Secretary, Hoyt Yee, told Voice of America, that Kosovo needs to be more effective in the fight against organized crime and corruption, in order to facilitate economic development that would prevent irregular migration. Yee also said that special court for war crimes would help Kosovo to gain a better reputation in the international community.

The upper house of Germany’s parliament, the Bundesrat, called for an early opening of the first chapter in the negotiations on Serbia's membership in the EU without direct conditionality with the process progress in resolving the issue of Kosovo, according to a document in which Danas had access to.

The European Union Office in Kosovo has allocated funds at the value of two million euros for civil society organizations. At the meeting that was organized by the Kosovo Foundation for Civil Society (KCSF) on Wednesday, it was announced that more than 100 civil society organizations and NGOs have applied for different projects that are in compliance with goals and policies of the European Union for Kosovo. The head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, said that the work of civil society is very important.

Serbian security forces stepped up patrols and deployed an elite unit Wednesday on its border with Hungary, trying to halt a torrent of migrants that has triggered alarm in many European Union countries. The last few months have seen a massive exodus of mostly Kosovo Albanians fleeing poverty and unemployment in search for a better life in the European Union.

 The agreement on the judiciary reached earlier this week "is not enough to open chapter 35 on Kosovo" in Serbia's membership negotiations with the EU, writes Blic. According to the newspaper, there are "at least six more obligations stemming from the Brussels agreement which so far have not been met."