Headlines - 23.12.2016

• Kosovo Assembly passes 2017 budget (dailies)
• Opposition to boycott Thaci’s speech to Assembly (Kosova Sot)
• Thaci: Balkans should be strategic interest to EU, not technical process (Epoka)
• Vucic calls a meeting with Kosovo Serb representatives (Klan Kosova)
• Agreement on license plates still not being implemented (Zeri)
• German police arrest two Kosovars suspected of planning terror attack (media)
• Vucic: We bought planes in order to prevent a repetition of 1999 (Zeri)

Kosovo Assembly passes 2017 budget (dailies)

In yesterday’s session, the Assembly of Kosovo endorsed the draft law on 2017 budget of €2 billion. Minister of Finance, Avdullah Hoti, said the next year’s budget is fully supported by the International Monetary Fund which expects an over 4.4 percent economic growth in 2017. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said the budget is a reflection of reforms and improvement of the doing business environment. MPs from the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) voiced concerns that funds have been disproportionally allocated to municipalities and that not enough has been dedicated to justice and education institutions. Nevertheless the party MPs voted in favour of the draft law which will undergo another round of voting during the second reading.

Opposition to boycott Thaci’s speech to Assembly (Kosova Sot)

Opposition parties are expected to boycott the end-of-year speech of the Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to the Assembly, the paper reports. Representatives from Vetevendosje, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) all confirmed they would not attend Thaci’s speech set to take place today.

Thaci: Balkans should be strategic interest to EU, not technical process (Epoka)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said during the meeting with Italy’s Foreign Minister, Angelino Alfano, that Brussels should see the Balkans states as a strategic interest and not as technical process of integration. “We share European values, but Brussels is being late with us, just as in the case of visa liberalisation for our citizens,” Thaci said.

Vucic calls a meeting with Kosovo Serb representatives (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, said he called a meeting for Monday with all Kosovo Serb representatives, the Mitrovica-based news portal Kossev reported. The initiative for a meeting comes after disagreements within the Serbian List following the dismissal of Ljubomir Maric from the post of Minister of Local Government and Administration and most recently the decision of some Serbian List MPs to unfreeze their participation in the work of Kosovo institutions.

Agreement on license plates still not being implemented (Zeri)

The paper reports on the front page that the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on license plates is still not being implemented for the failure of Kosovo institutions to get stickers that are supposed to be placed on Serbia-issued license plates when entering Kosovo. The paper accuses the government for not being serious and goes on to quote officials from the Ministry of Interior claiming that they are waiting for the decision of the government to begin implementation of the agreement.

German police arrest two Kosovars suspected of planning terror attack (media)

German Police claims that two brothers, born in Kosovo, were arrested under the suspicion that they planned an attack at a shopping mall in western part of Germany. Associated Press in Berlin reported that according to the Police the two brothers, 28 and 31 years old, were arrested early in the morning in Duisburg, the industrial region of Rur. Authorities also say that they have probably planned the attack at the Centro shopping mall near Oberhauzen. Authorities are investigating how far has the plan of these suspects reached and if other suspects are involved. The police reports that they have increased security measures in that region.

Vucic: We bought planes in order to prevent a repetition of 1999 (Zeri)

Serbia’s Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Thursday that Serbia has bought planes from Russia in order to prevent a repetition of 1999 and added that Serbia will not give up its military neutrality. “I am not one of those who say one thing when they go to Moscow and another thing when they go to Washington. Moscow claims that we are on a European path; Washington claims we are not establishing sanctions against Russian Federation. This is our policy,” Vucic said. He said Serbia bought the MIG-29s from Russia at a very cheap price. “Now we also have to pay up the missiles (air-air and air-ground)” Vucic said. He added that in the next 14 years, Serbia will have ten airplanes that are more powerful than the MIGs and that they will be the first in the region.