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Government informs EU on Serbia’s illegal interventions in Kosovo (Koha)

The government of Kosovo sent an official note to the European Union on Monday about Serbia’s continuous illegal interventions in Kosovo and the violation of the Brussels Agreement with the decision to extend parallel structures in the municipality of Shterpce/Strpce. Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, sent a letter to EU official Fernando Gentilini, calling on the EU to take all measures to prevent Serbia from interfering through its parallel structures in Kosovo.

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The Association of Kosovo Serb Municipalities – a Republika Srpska or a Non-Governmental Organization? (Transconflict)

Disagreements persist about whether the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities in Kosovo should be a non-governmental organization aiming to facilitate cooperation between Serb-majority municipalities in specific areas, or whether it should be a political body with decision-making powers. Pristina and Belgrade agreed in 2013 in Brussels on the formation of an association of Serb-majority municipalities, but not on its mandate. Two years later, the bargaining process over the Association’s authority is about to begin.

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Kosovo: EU justice efforts shadowed by controversy (Turkish Weekly)

Kosovo agreed to support a new European-backed special court to try top war crimes suspects despite dissent from ex-guerrillas, while the EU rule-of-law mission was hit by corruption claims. Under pressure from the European Union, Kosovo MPs voted in April 2014 to ratify a deal with Brussels to set up a new special court that will be located outside the country in order to prosecute serious crimes committed during and after the 1998-99 war with Serbian forces. The idea of the new special court, which will be based in the Netherlands and have international judges, angered war veterans’ associ

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EU should remove visas for Kosovars (Koha Ditore)

Augustin Palokaj, Koha Ditore’s Brussels based correspondent, considers that despite the fact that the European Union is not currently willing to remove visas for Kosovo and it even considers returning of visas for some countries, emigration of many Kosovars towards the EU should not be used as a reason not to liberalize visas. It is obvious that visa regime has not prevented emigration and the vast number of these emigrations is from Kosovo. Lack of visa liberalization has only created business for multiethnic criminals.

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Joint Albania-Kosovo Power Market Worries Think Tank (Balkan Insight)

A report by Kosovo’s GAP institute says that while the creation of a common energy market between Kosovo and Albania would lower costs, it must not lead to the building of more high-polluting coal power stations in Kosovo. Kosovo's GAP Institute think tank has said it strongly backs the integration of the electricity systems of the two countries, "but is against the exploitation of lignite for the sake of cooperation”. The Pristina based think-tank said in a statement said its position was “due to the negative effects produced by the use of coal as a source for the production of electricity,

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Collaku donates computers for children from RAE communities (Indeksonline)

Minister for European Integration, Bekim Collaku visited today the Center for Cooperation and Integration "Fidan Lahu" in Fushe Kosove / Kosovo Polje, where he spent a few moments with children from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities. Collaku donated computers and various computer equipment for the children of these communities. "The Ministry for European Integration is strongly committed to improving the living conditions of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, and their full integration into society,” said Collaku.

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Serbian President Demands Kosovo Referendum (Balkan Insight)

In a sign of growing tension between him and the government, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on Sunday declared that any major decisions made on Kosovo must go to a referendum. Serbia's President on Sunday said that if the government makes key decisions on future relations with the former province of Kosovo under pressure from the EU, the issue must be put to the public in a referendum. The people have a right to decide on whether to accept the EU's conditions, Tomislav Nikolic told the TV show “Teska Rec” ("Hard Word") on TV Pink on December 28. “There must be a referendum.

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Could Serbia do more for chapter 35 (Politika)

Even in case that Belgrade had implemented any other detail from the Brussels Agreement, I am not convinced that it would be enough for opening negotiations with the EU, said Laslo Varga, deputy chairperson of the Serbian parliament’s Committee for European integrations. With that regard the question emerges why Serbia didn’t ask additional explanations from the EU.

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Kosovo to apply for Council of Europe membership in three months (Koha)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hashim Thaci, informed today the government of Kosovo about his visit to Brussels and meetings with senior officials of the European Union. Thaci said that Kosovo has met the criteria for applying for membership in the Council of Europe. “Kosovo has met the criteria for membership and hopefully in coordination with international partners, we will apply in the next three months, and we expect to join the Council of Europe,” said Thaci.

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Serbia and Kosovo should discuss payment of public debt (Blic)

Serbia and Kosovo should soon discuss the further paying back of a portion of the public external debt of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, according to the magazine Business and Finance. The deadline for paying the debt is 2041, and amounts to 347.1 million dollars. Serbia’s Public Debt Administration recently launched an initiative to open negotiations with Pristina authorities on this subject. Serbia is still paying off Kosovo’s foreign debt, which dates back from the last century, although Serbia did not collect any fiscal revenues from Kosovo for years.

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