Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said after a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa in Pristina that Austria will not be granting asylum to the people migrating from Kosovo.  She said that the recent wave of migration is affecting economic processes both in Kosovo and Austria which has so far received 30,000 requests for asylum. Mikl-Leitner is also set to meet President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga.

The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, met on Thursday with the Special Envoy for Western Balkans at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Ernst Reichel. Jahjaga and Reichel visited Mitrovica where they discussed with the people on the issue of irregular migration. Jahjaga called on Kosovo people to stop the migration because fleeing is not the solution for economic problems. She said that all asylum applications will be rejected and everyone will be returned to Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Minister of European Integration, Bekim Collaku, received today a delegation of Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, headed by ministers Silke Krebs and Peter Friedrich, and accompanied by German Ambassador in Pristina, Angelika Viets.The ministers discussed the latest developments in Kosovo, the European agenda and the issue of irregular migration of people of Kosovo in Germany.

The Dutch Ambassador to Kosovo, Robert Bosch, said on Thursday that poor economic conditions are not a reason to seek asylum in the European countries.  "People are leaving because they see no future. It may be economic reasons, but not necessarily, because with such issues are facing also other countries in the region,” said Bosch.

Deputy Head of the EULEX Joelle Vachter said that she believes that the implementation of the Brussels agreement on judiciary will contribute to improving the lives of citizens in the north. 

When will start implementation of the agreement and what kind of role in this process will have EULEX? 

We expect further steps regarding the implementation of this agreement. We are ready to implement the agreement at any time. 

Which obstacles do you expect in the implementation? 

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.

The European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, said on Monday in Brussels that the people of Kosovo are leaving because of the economic situation, and called on Kosovo institutions to create conditions for economic development, which, according to him, would prevent irregular migration.  Hahn said that at the moment, he doesn't know what could be the impact of the large number of asylum seekers on the visa liberalization process.

In view of the current mass exodus from Kosovo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a fair distribution of asylum seekers within the European Union. The situation of refugees in the EU is "very unsatisfactory," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast, which was released on Saturday. Europe must "offer the refugees reasonable conditions at their place of arrival," Merkel continued. She also stressed the need to "develop a sense of fairness among the member states of the European Union" about taking in and supporting such individuals.

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 Thaci criticized the opposition parties and other public factors, that they are trying substantiate their allegations against the agreements reached in Brussels. Thaci told Lajmi that the recent agreement reached in Brussels between Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Serbia Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, received the blessing of Parliament and other relevant institutions in Kosovo.