“Recognize Kosovo, do it as soon as possible”

Kosovo, Photo: print screen

This EP call is included in the draft report on Kosovo, which was prepared in the Committee on Foreign Policy by the rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon.

This call is not new, because the European Parliament remains the only EU institution that treats Kosovo as a state and calls on member states to recognize Kosovo citizenship.

“Five member states did not recognize Kosovo. It is stressed that recognition would benefit the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” the document reads.

This report refers to a period of two years, because in 2019 there was no report from the European Parliament, taking into account that it was the year of the European elections and the constitution of the new composition of the EP was expected.

The draft report states that Kosovo continues to suffer from political instability, especially after the parliamentary elections in October 2019.

Kosovo needs to intensify its efforts to address the rule of law, fundamental rights, the functioning of institutions and economic development, the report said, pointing to a mistake made in abolishing the anti-corruption task force within the Kosovo Police.

The report underlines that Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkan region whose citizens require a visa to travel to the Schengen area, although Kosovo has fulfilled all the conditions for visa liberalization since 2018.

The report states that Kosovo can benefit from visa liberalization and calls on the Council to move urgently towards the establishment of a visa-free regime for Kosovo citizens.

The European Parliament, through this report, calls on Kosovo to redouble its efforts to fight corruption and organized crime and to show more political will to meet the conditions set out in the European Reform Agenda.

This text regrets the decision of the Government of Kosovo to abolish the Ministry of European Integration, but calls for the new structures to have an adequate level of competences, so that they can coordinate the integration process.

An important part of the report produced by the EP is devoted to the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.

The EP report welcomes continued dialogue and engagement in the process. Pristina and official Belgrade are asked to continue their constructive engagement in the search for a comprehensive agreement, but also to implement the agreements reached so far.

The report also takes note of the agreement reached in Washington on September 4 on the normalization of economic relations and underlines that transatlantic cooperation is a key factor of stability in the region.

The document calls for more efforts to find out the fate of people missing since the last war in Kosovo. It also reiterates its support for the establishment of a Regional Commission for the Acts of War Crimes and Grave Violations of Human Rights in the Old Territory. Yugoslavia.

“We call for greater efforts to review complaints from relatives of missing persons, open war files and reveal data on people still listed as missing in the 1998-99 war in Kosovo,” the document says.

The report also addresses the state of the environment in Kosovo, highlighting the high level of pollution in Kosovo and seeking to increase the capacity to produce energy from alternative sources. The EP is concerned about the high level of early mortality due to pollution and seeks to address these issues and gradually halt coal-based power generation.

In this sense, Kosovo must respect European standards, while the European Commission must include Kosovo in the strategy of the European Green Deal.

The report was prepared by the European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon. It will first be debated in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, where it will be voted on. It will then be discussed and adopted as a resolution of the European Parliament during the plenary session.