EU expects acceleration of Kosovo reform course

EU office chief in Kosovo Natalia Apostolova said that regardless of who forms the new government in Kosovo, The EU expects a acceleration and implementation of the EU reform agenda. According to her, Kosovo has a clear European perspective, and Kosovo people expect responsible leadership that will make significant progress along the European road.

That statement, the chief of the EU office in Kosovo did it after Saturday (08.07), when the CEC certified the final election results, thus paving the way for the establishment of new institutions.

It is now the responsibility of political leaders to listen to their citizens and form a stable government that will serve the interests of the people. Kosovo faces many challenges, ranging from high unemployment and low performance education system to corruption and weak rule of law, which remain an obstacle to attracting sustainable investments for economic development. It is therefore important that political leaders take these challenges seriously, form a strong government and initiate reforms that people ask for”, the chief of the EU office in Kosovo says in its statement.

Natalia Apostolova reminds Kosovo political leaders of the commitment of EU High Representative Federika Moghrini, to improving Kosovo-Serbia relations and the necessity of implementation without delay of the agreements reached in this dialogue.

“The EU will continue to help Kosovo citizens. Through the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and related instruments, the EU has provided a political, economic and legislative framework for reforms. Through IPA support, the EU provides financial assistance to support these efforts and to increase improvements throughout Kosovo. Regardless of who forms the new government, the EU expects an acceleration and implementation of the EU reform agenda”, Natalia Apostolova points out.

30 Days for Government
The Central Election Commission certified on Saturday the results of the June 11th snap elections and thus has now opened the way to the process of forming new institutions.
It now has a 30-day term when the new parliament should be constitutionalised to pave the way for the formation of the Kosovo government. Based on already certified results, coalition The PAN in whose composition are the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Initiative, has won 39 seats in parliament. The Vetevendosje Movement has won 32 seats, while the LAA coalition -- which includes the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for New Kosovo and the Alternative -- has won 29 seats. The Serbian list, which has the backing of official Belgrade, has won 9 seats out of 10 total to the Serb community, while another 10 countries are reserved for minorities. The Kosovo Parliament has 120 deputies.
Decreating the mandate
However, none of the political subjects can form the government alone, and post-election coalitions are needed for that. At this stage, there is still no concreteisation of coalitions, although political parties have already begun to submit their bids. On the basis of Kosovo's constitution, its Article 95 clearly specifys that following the certified results of parliament's elections and constitutionalisation, the president of the Republic of Kosovo, in consultation with the political party, with the subject, or with the coalition that is the winner of the election and decrees the mandate that has won the elections for government creation. The 15-day mandater is obliged to go to the Assembly with the government's list and vote. If it is not voted and won't win the necessary votes of 61 MPs, then it is considered that the government has not been elected to the first mandate.
Then within the ten-day deadline, it is at “the session” or the will of the president, whether I will give the mandate to the second and third parties providing 61 votes to make the government, or announce the extraordinary new elections. So it says in an interpretation of the constitution made in 2014, where Kosovo for more than six months could not create the government. Based on this interpretation one thing is clear, the “post of the Speaker of the Parliament belongs to the winning party or coalition of elections, in this case the winning PAN” coalition. Under the constitution's connoisseurs, the president of Kosovo must now care and ensure the stability of the constitution and the democratic functioning of the country's institutions.