Headlines - 10.12.2016

• EU: There will be no wall in Mitrovica (Epoka e Re, Zeri)
• Tahiri: The wall will be removed in a matter of days (Epoka e Re)
• Konjufca: Wall in Mitrovica, result of Brussels dialogue (Zeri)
• EU to call on Kosovo authorities to cooperate with special court (Koha Ditore)
• Thaci: Kosovo should not remain isolated (dailies) 

Kosovo Media Highlights

EU: There will be no wall in Mitrovica (Epoka e Re, Zeri)

The media quote the EU foreign policy spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, as saying that there will be no wall in Mitrovica. “During yesterday’s discussions the parties agreed that there will be stairs which will provide safety for freedom of movement in both sides of the road,” Kocijancic said.

Tahiri: The wall will be removed in a matter of days (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said that the wall in Mitrovica will be removed in the coming days and that the EU has concluded the wall is in conflict to the Kosovo legislation, the Brussels agreement and freedom of movement principles. “I call on all citizens to be patient. I promise the removal of the wall is a matter of days, maybe even hours,” said Tahiri. She added that she was awaiting a report from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning to determine whether the wall has interfered with a planned roundabout in the northern part of the bridge. 

Konjufca: Wall in Mitrovica, result of Brussels dialogue (Zeri)

Head of Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, said in a press conference that the wall in Mitrovica North is a result of negotiations with Serbia in Brussels. He said that when the dialogue began, the government of Kosovo proclaimed it would be used to achieve two main goals: unification of Kosovo and European integration. None of these have been achieved, Konjufca added. “Serbia is now employing an additional strategy of pressure through the construction of the wall which cuts off the road in one of the major junctions,” Vetevendosje MP noted.

EU to call on Kosovo authorities to cooperate with special court (Koha Ditore)

The European Council is expected to approve next week a number of conclusions on the Western Balkans countries and Turkey and in regards to Kosovo it notes that the EU welcomes the “significant progress” in implementation of visa liberalization roadmap criteria and that the Council will decide on lifting visas for Kosovo as soon as it fulfills the two last remaining conditions: ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro and evidence of the fight against organized crime and corruption. Furthermore, the EU also states that all authorities in Kosovo should carry out obligations towards assisting the Specialist Chambers.   

Thaci: Kosovo should not remain isolated (dailies)

In a meeting with Angelina Eichhorst, the European Commission’s director for the Western Balkans, President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci thanked the EU for its support and for installing an institutional cooperation with Kosovo. He also called on the EU not to allow Kosovo to remain isolated and to as soon as possible give the green light for visa liberalisation. “It is truly regrettable that due to internal political developments in Kosovo, due to personal and party ambitions, all citizens of Kosovo suffer and remain the only isolated Europeans,” Thaci said.