The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, said today that the European Union is welcomed to help Kosovo on the war against economic crime. “Kosovo has made significant steps in the war against corruption, terrorism and other phenomena,” Mustafa said. He made this statement at the launching of the joint project of the Office of the European Union and the Council of Europe against the economic crime in Kosovo.
The winner in the Austrian presidential race, Alexander Van der Bellen, has said in a statement to Tanjug that, in his capacity as the head of state, he will work on supporting the region of the Western Balkans along the path toward the EU. Van der Bellen gave this statement to Tanjug ahead of Sunday's election in which he won the highest number of votes.
Tanja Fajon, who was also Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Western Balkans, was nominated Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Kosovo. She will be preparing the report which will be initially discussed and voted at the Parliamentary Commission then at the plenary session of the European Parliament.
Even though Kosovo has a strong support of the European Parliament MPs, the procedure requires time and it is not easy to foresee how long it will take.
The political atmosphere for withdrawal of military forces from Kosovo has been created by the declaration and the recommendations to the Council for Stabilization and Association adopted yesterday in Pristina, and the session of the Parliamentary Committee for Stabilization and Association on the occasion of coming into force of the Stabilization and Association Agreement signed between Kosovo and the EU, said the paper’s source from the European Parliament, who did not want to talk about it publicly.
During his visit to Kosovo, the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, met also with the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and said during this meeting that there is still work to be done on the rule of law. Thaçi on the other hand stressed that Kosovo’s vision and goal is the European perspective.
The Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Sanda Rašković Ivić, reflected today on the visit of the EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, to Pristina and said that her party argues for years that the Serbian authorities are participating in the process of the territorial disintegration of Serbia, which is, according to her, designed and implemented by the US and EU. She requested once more a referendum on further continuation of Euro-integration.
During the last session of the parliamentary Commission for the Stabilization Association Agreement, Johannes Hahn said that the SAA is a historical step and marks contractual relations with the European Union. However, according to him, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary remain a challenge.
The EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and enlargement, Johannes Hahn, said that he has arrived in Kosovo to congratulate and celebrate Kosovo’s membership at UEFA, and entering into power of the SAA. He said that the economic perspective is very important, and it is one of the main perspectives of the country.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, hosted today a meeting with the European Parliament delegation, which will participate at the meeting of the EU-Kosovo Parliamentary Commission for the Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA). A press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister informs that the EU delegation lead by Tonino Picula, is comprised of Ulrike Lunacek, Dubravka Suica, Tanja Fajon, Jozo Rados, Georgios Kyrtsos and Julie Ward.
The U.S. expert on Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said that the Balkan region is unsteady and the unsteadiest parts of the region, are FYROM and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to him, Serbia’s concern for Serbs in Kosovo is legitimate.