The United States Deputy Ambassador to Kosovo, Jennifer Bachus, said on Friday that corruption in Kosovo is impeding economic development because it is affecting all levels of society.  Bachus also said that the U.S. has supported and will strongly support Kosovo's development in all fields. According to her, all people should unite to implement the ambitious program of government, adding that the justice sector is essential. Bachus made these comments during the High Level Forum organized by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa.

The columnist Enver Robelli, on today’s editorial writes that Kosovo can hope for a better future, only if it strengthens the justice system. According to the author, the newly nominated Chief Prosecutor, Aleksander Lumezi, must first visit Romania and see the actual work of the authorities there, because, according to him, this European Union country has finally launched an extensive campaign against corrupt politicians.

The paper on its front page editorial writes that Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, should act immediately to stop the organized crime and corruption, especially in the business sector in Kosovo. The editorial notes that the business sector in Kosovo is “drowned” in corruption. “This has pushed several companies towards full bankruptcy, which in normal circumstances would have been developed and opened new jobs, so, they would have helped in strengthening the economy of Kosovo,” writes the paper.

The economic development and creation of new jobs should be a priority for the new government of Kosovo, said the Norwegian Ambassador to Kosovo, Jan Braathu, for Radio Kosova. Braathu said that the two parties in the ruling coalition, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) had focused their election campaigns on economic development, and now they have to keep their promises. Braathu also spoke about Kosovo's other priorities, such as the fight against corruption and the establishment of special court.

Albania prosecutors are helping their Kosovo counterparts investigate corruption allegations against EULEX judge Francesco Florit, BIRN can reveal.

Documents obtained by BIRN show that Tirana District Court on September 19 approved a prosecutor’s office request to assist the Kosovo judicial authorities in investigating an Italian EULEX judge and two others suspected of corruption.

On the International Anti-Corruption Day [9 December], head of Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency, Hasan Preteni, said that the year 2014 has not shown any significant progress in fight against corruption in Kosovo. Radio Kosova reports that according to Preteni, the Transparency International Report and Progress Report are unpleasant signals for Kosovo. "The field of combating corruption still remains problematic by the fact that this year we had a small number of indictments in the corruption field,” said Preteni.

The paper’s deputy editor-in-chief, Lavdim Hamidi, writes that if corruption in Kosovo were to be fought at its roots, officials that are expected to form the government today would have to fight themselves. Although it seems the new government will not be led by Hashim Thaci, his Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will continue to have a major role in the government. The police and prosecution would have to be free of influence and launch investigations into alleged corruption involving Thaci and his family members.

Organized crime and terrorism are threatening Kosovo and the whole region, so the combat against these phenomena must be done with regional cooperation. This was said during the regional conference on "Challenges in combating organized crime and terrorism, and the cooperation in South-Eastern Europe,” Kosova Press reports.  Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said that combating organized crime and terrorism must be a common struggle and that every country in the region is facing illegal migration due to lack of cooperation in these areas.

4 December 2014

According to the 2014 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Kosovo and Albania continue to be the most corrupt countries in South-East Europe.

According to the index published by the Berlin-based watchdog on Wednesday, Albania and Kosovo are ranked joint 110th out of 174 countries around the world that were assessed in the report.

The Dutch Ambassador in Kosovo, Robert Bosch has requested from the new government to stay away from the justice system in Kosovo, RTK Live reports. According to the news portal, Bosch said that the number one priority for the next government must be the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Bosch also stressed that no one can deny that the PDK has won the majority of votes and that they should be in the government.