The first debate at the European Parliament on the proposal of the European Commission for granting visa liberalisation for Kosovo is expected to take place this Thursday. Even though the majority of European Parliament members support the view of lifting visa requirements for the people of Kosovo, the voting procedure could extend beyond summer. The newly-appointed European Parliament rapporteur for the visa liberalization for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, said she has an ambitious visa liberalisation plan.

Tanja Fajon, who was also Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Western Balkans, was nominated Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Kosovo. She will be preparing the report which will be initially discussed and voted at the Parliamentary Commission then at the plenary session of the European Parliament.

Even though Kosovo has a strong support of the European Parliament MPs, the procedure requires time and it is not easy to foresee how long it will take.

The proposal of the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, to create a special commission for the Association/Community of the Serbian-majority Communities, was not welcomed by the three opposition parties. According to them, the proposal is not serious and it is a joke on Kosovo politics.

Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said that there will be no progress on the establishment of the Association/Community of the Serb-majority Municipalities if the agreements with Serbia on telecom and energy are not implemented. “We have a blockade from Serbia or a disrespecting of the agreements on the issues of Kosovo’s dial code and the independence for the energy transmission system,” said Tahiri for Ora News.

The director general of the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), Mentor Shala, has distanced himself from the offensive language that RTK 3 editor, Arsim Halili, used towards the LGBTI community in Kosovo. “The insults made by Arsim Halimi towards LGBTI people are his personal views and in no way constitute the attitude of RTK. RTK respects the rights of each community equally, regardless of their sexual orientation,” Shala wrote on his Facebook account.

European Parliament Vice President and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Ulrike Lunacek, told the European Western Balkans web portal that the future of Kosovo and Serbia is closely intertwined and that Kosovo’s European fate strongly correlates with Serbia’s advancement and vice-versa. She said the green light for visa liberalization for the citizens of Kosovo creates a very good momentum and has to be utilized.

The president of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, in a video message called on the people of Kosovo to join the protest that his party is planning to stage together with the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) on 14 May. In his address, Haradinaj said that Kosovo is not doing well and it is not able to ensure economic development. Corruption has reached endemic levels, he added, while the agreements on the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro are a setback for Kosovo.

Kosovo's Minister of European Integration, Bekim Çollaku, said that despite internal challenges that the EU is facing, there was no shifting of interest and engagement towards the Western Balkans countries, including Kosovo. Çollaku spoke about Kosovo’s progress in the EU integration process, mentioning the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the positive recommendation for visa liberalization. He said that a positive transformation is happening in Kosovo’s integration journey.

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci said that there has been not a single case of people from Kosovo joining the terrorist group ISIS in the last six months. In a meeting with representatives of a German association for foreign policy, Thaci said the “unpleasant” political situations in Kosovo are now a thing of the past and that normal cooperation has been installed. The best example of this, according to Thaci, is yesterday’s meeting with the the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

Answering a question during a live chat on Facebook, the British Ambassador to Kosovo Ruairi O’Connell said that a unification of Kosovo and Albania sounds like a threat. “To be honest, when I hear that there will be stability in the Balkans only if Kosovo and Albania is unified, it sounds like a threat,” said O’Connell adding that the international community has recognised independence of Kosovo based on Ahtisaari’s plan which rules out unification with Albania.