Headlines - 29.10.2013

The Government promises SAA before summer (dailies)

Kosovo Government and European Commission have started negotiations on Monday for Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA), thus entering a new phase of relationship with European Union. European officials said that the opening of SAA negotiations is recognition of the progress made in Kosovo in the last months and years, while Kosovo officials have evaluated this day as historic.

In the start of negotiations for the Stabilization Association Agreement, European Commission has presented to Kosovo the offer about first chapters of this agreement, starting with issues that cover trade and approximation of legislation. Minister for European Integrations, Vlora Çitaku, has foreseen that Kosovo to finalize SAA negotiation before summer next year. The start of SAA negotiations, Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi called it as a historic day for Kosovo. “I say that this is a historic day for Kosovo, because today is opened another chapter in the integration process of Kosovo and it starts a new irreversible process, which starts only once in the history of Kosovo. Today we are starting a process, which leads towards the membership in the EU,” said Thaçi. 

The first Kosovo-EU comprehensive contractual agreement (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that the start of SAA negotiations between Kosovo and EU has been also commented in Brussels, where officials of European Commission and EU diplomats have greeted this step. They have expressed that the start of negotiations for Stabilization and Association Agreement and the achieving of this agreement will mark the implementation of the first comprehensive contractual reports between EU and Kosovo. Sources in Brussels have once more recalled that SAA with Kosovo it will be so called “exclusively European competency”, while the EU treaty and the “legal subject”, well that in the name of the EU it will negotiate European Commission and for the difference of other agreements this agreement will not be needed to be ratified from member states. This was the key, which opened possibility for these negotiations to start at the time when five EU member states continue not recognizing Kosovo as independent state. Earlier SAA agreements with other Western Balkans countries have been signed by all EU countries and the respective state of the region and they have gone through a long phase of ratifications in the parliaments of member countries. 

Vucic and Vulin with separate requests to enter Kosovo (Tribuna)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has made a request to visit Graçanica on Thursday. The request was passed on to the Kosovo Government through EU missions in Belgrade and Pristina. Serbian minister without portfolio Aleksandar Vulin has also filed a request to visit Kosovo and attend the same event and Vucic.

Officials from the Kosovo Government did not wish to comment on whether the requests will be approved while international sources said that Belgrade doesn’t enjoy Brussels’ support in its additional demands and that the EU gives right to Pristina not to allow Serbian minister to visit because of his actions against the agreement reached in Brussels between Kosovo and Serbia. 

Jahjaga asks UK’s support for implementation of agreement with Serbia (dailies)

President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, was received on Monday in London by the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, a statement from the office of Kosovo President stated. President Jahjaga and Secretary Hague talked about latest developments in Kosovo, about the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia after the achievement of the agreement in April, about the European path of Kosovo, and the prevention of sexual violence in conflict times.

President of Republic of Kosovo emphasized that the solution of the problem in the north was a necessity and evaluated that Kosovo Government has approached the dialogue with Serbia in constructive way to create a trust climate with Serb citizens who are living in the north of the territory of Kosovo, with the aim of their integration. She said that the agreement for normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia should be implemented in the field and emphasized that she expects from Serbia to fulfill all their obligations from the agreement.

President Jahjaga emphasized that for this process to be successful, the support of Great Britain is very important and that the implementation of the agreement should be closely monitored so that it can result in full normalization of relations between two independent states and stabilize the entire region of Southeast Europe. 

Blomeyer: Kosovo, Europe’s small victim (Zëri)

The German Ambassador in Kosovo, Peter Blomeyer, stated on Monday that Kosovo should engage more, especially on visa liberalization, even though in this process, Kosovo is the small victim of Europe. “The European Union has a bad experience on visa liberalization, when the neighboring countries in Balkans are concerned, therefore it is being worked more on Kosovo. I admit that Kosovo is the biggest victim here, therefore it should be worked more on this process,” he said.

According to him, the Stabilization Association Agreement is another platform which helps the EU on its impact in this part of Europe, even though this relation was not always efficient. He mentioned that it is important for Kosovo to sign several international agreements in different fields of economic and state development in order to become faster a candidate for EU membership. 

Kosovo, top reformer in World Bank’s Doing Business (Tribuna)

World Bank in its annual Doing Business report ranked Kosovo 12 places higher than last year largely as a result of a number of reforms undertaken by the Minister of Trade and Industry Mimoza Kusari-Lila during her time in office. Kosovo is this year in the 86 place from a total of 189 while last year it was ranked 98.

“Ukraine, Rwanda, the Russian Federation, the Phillippines, Kosovo, Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Guatemala are among the economies improving the most in 2012/13 in areas tracked by Doing Business,” the report reads. 

Old conflict between Gani Geci and Azem Syla revived (dailies)

Papers report that there was a shooting incident in Skenderaj yesterday as a result of a fight between two groups, of the former MP from Democratic League of Dardania (LDD) Gani Geci and MP from Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Azem Syla.

According to Koha Ditore, there was a single shot fired by the security staff of the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Gani Koci who was, together with Syla, attending an election rally in the town.

Kosovo Police issued a statement saying that the suspect for causing the incident is Geci and several members of his family but noted that investigations are ongoing.