Hoxha: Politicians think about citizen, end isolation

Minister of European Integration, Gift Hoxha, at today's session has discussed the SAA and its life expectancy, Kosovo's aspirations for membership in the European family, application for candidate country status and visa liberalisation.

Unfortunately, our citizens are deprived of free movement rights in EU countries due to non-liberalisation of visas. Our citizens each day line up in front of the EU countries' embassies to obtain visas, which would now have to be removed as if for other Balkan countries. In this situation, citizens are the ones who are mostly injured and responsible alone we are at”, said Minister Hoxha, who invites the political class instead of serving their citizens and welfare.

Hoxha has asked political institutions and actors to reflect on the welfare of citizens and end our citizens' expectations before embassies.

We end isolation. I beg you for consensus on our country's interest, I beg you at least this time to join our citizens, for our young people, and to enable the fulfilment of remaining visa liberalisation criteria, respectively, to ratify the demarcation agreement with Montenegro”, said Minister Hoxha

As for the second criterion, fighting corruption, the minister indicated that considerable progress has already been achieved, however, this is a criterion that must consistently mark progress. For this, institutions of rule of law intensification of the fight against organised crime and corruption will be strongly supported.

After the SAA's entry into force, the government's strategic goal is to meet the criteria for obtaining EU membership candidate status by 2020. This would be a dynamic based on the experience of Western Balkan countries and the objective assessment of tasks we must fulfil within this period. In this context, the Government will take all measures to ensure the implementation of the SAA's priority provisions, and political priorities within the European Reforms Agency. This would provide a good basis for enabling the European Commission to provide positive thinking on Kosovo's application for obtaining candidate status, full co-ordination with EU member states and EU institutions”, EU Integration Minister Hoxha stressed.

Minister Hoxha during today's session has also highlighted Kosovo's membership in EU programmes as they are: E RASMUS, COSME, Europe for Citizens and Europe Creative. Attending these programmes will offer students, academy, businesses, civil society and the artistic and creative community even closer to the European Union. There will be new opportunities for our young people who have potential.

While in co-operation with the European Commission, we will make sure that this assistance continues to address issues of priority for Kosovo citizens. Minister Hoxha has also dedicated the “to the Berlin Process” aimed at uniting the six Western Balkan countries in an effort to improve their individual path towards the EU. The Berlin Process has assured Kosovo the rehabilitation of the X-line railway, which will connect Kosovo railways with pan-European railway corridors, with EU funding at 80m euros worth”, Minister Hoxha announced.

Minister Hoxha, since the first day of her mandate, has stressed that European integration is not an alternative but our only path, so let's have a national consensus on the integration process. From this, she mentioned, depends on the well-being of our citizens and not forget for a moment that we are in the service of citizens and are responsible for ensuring their well-being.