UNMIK Headlines 18 February
Assembly marks independence anniversary with special session (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo Assembly held a special session yesterday to mark the seventh anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of independence. Speaker Kadri Veseli said that despite significant progress over the last seven years, there is no room for being complacent as Kosovo continues to face serious challenges. He said it is final time for Kosovo to be removed from the list of countries that have problems with the rule of law. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa in his address called on all the people that have recently migrated from Kosovo to come back and that economic development is being treated as a priority of the government. The paper stresses that Serbian List MPs did not attend the session while those from Vetevendosje only joined once the Kosovo anthem was played out.
Bavaria to return Kosovo migrants within few weeks (Epoka e Re)
Bavarian Minister of Interior, Joachim Herrmann told Deutsche Welle that he advises Kosovo people not to migrate to Germany because there is no chance for asylum. "It would be fatal for people who sell their homes in Kosovo to seek a better future in Germany, because they will be returned to Kosovo within few weeks,” said Herrmann. He said that Germany will intensify its public information campaign to inform the people of Kosovo of the false images that are created. “We will also strengthen border controls mainly between Hungary and Serbia to reduce the irregular migration towards Germany,” said Herrmann who also called on the EU to assist Kosovo more on its economic development.
Veseli: Kosovo people are not fleeing from luxury (RTK)
The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, told RTK that Kosovo people are not leaving because of luxury but poverty. According to him, many of those who fled would like to live in Kosovo. Veseli said that Kosovo institutions have to work more on economic development in order to prevent irregular migration. “We need to invest more on professional education of our people and create more jobs for them,” said Veseli. “Seasonal employment agreements with the European Union countries would also contribute in preventing irregular migration.”
Talks on service liberalization within CEFTA underway (Koha Ditore)
Kosovo Ministry of Trade and Industry has begun negotiations with Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) member states on liberalization of services, reports the paper. Ministry’s senior official, Vjollca Dibra, said that although negotiations are underway, market liberalization of professional services is not expected to be finalized in the short-term period. CEFTA was signed in 2006 by UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo authorities and while the mission’s representatives continue to be invited to CEFTA meetings, Kosovo government is negotiating service liberalization without UNMIK’s presence, said Dibra.