EU Commissioner: Careful with New Kosovo, it's a big investment.

EU Commissioner for Economics and Digital Society estimates that Kosovo has met all the criteria for visa liberalisation, however, it says more must continue to work for this process to be fulfilled.

Gabriel made these comments during the day of his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj, Minister for Inovation Besim Beqaj and Economic Development Minister Valdrin Luka.

Gabriel has indicated that it is important to continue dialogue with states to make a quick decision about visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

Kosovo has worked hard to gain visa liberalisation and we can congratulate you on all the efforts you have undertaken by the Government. Then I want the European Commission to be very precise, and the European Parliament speaks in the same voice and we strongly support. On the other hand, we have this institutional triangle where we should continue to work with the Council, with the different member states. So I would like to send a positive, encouraging message here, often we say nothing is done before everything is done. It is therefore important to continue with dialogue with all member states to persuade them to make the decision as soon as possible. When you have clear proofs, the entire criteria have been fulfilled. Believe me, this is not an easy process”, she said.

Gabriel, who is staying in Kosovo for digital agenda in the Western Balkans and opportunities for Kosovo's economy, has said that Kosovo could be one of their key partners to use digitalisation as a promoter of the economy.

She has said she is working to have reduced Romang tariffs for countries in the region.

The EU commissioner has also spoken of building the thermocentral plant “New Kosovo, where the World Bank has declared it will not support the project for this project, she said the institution representing it.

However, she pointed out that Kosovo should be cautious in this big investment.

I want to retain my competencies and mean my function as the European Commission, what's important is that we have sent a positive message to Kosovo because there is a decision for the Western Balkans to invest 30m euros by 2020 to identify important projects for both the region and the country. So now, as the European Commission, this is my order, I encourage authorities to keep working, not just for capitals, but for remote countries, rural countries. We as the European Commission are responsible and accountable in our decisions and in our instruments. I've been very clear, you can count on our support, but it's your responsibility to be effective and efficient and to continue in this process of digitalization that is developing and evolves at such great speed”, she said.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj has indicated that the EU commissioner has always been a supporter of Kosovo. He has said that today she is staying in Kosovo to promote innovation and technology.

The deputy prime minister has also spoken of visa liberalisation, where he said that by the end of the year it would be seen as being right in relation to Kosovo. While he has said that unless there is visa liberalisation it is ironic that the EU is believed to convince Serbia to recognise Kosovo.

The biggest European innovation in Kosovo may be visa liberalisation, that we have come to a situation where we have such a demand that is urgent for Kosovo. But, the European Commission has been clear, the European Parliament has been clear, now we need to work with our capitals. I'm still not about raising a lot of tension in public, working more with capitals. At the end of the year, it will be seen whether the European Union is fair in relation to Kosovo or not, whether it is right in relation to Kosovo or not, member states, EU institutions. If there is a test measuring Europe's credibility in relation to Kosovo, it is visa liberalisation. It would be ironic then in 2019 that we believe that the EU will persuade Serbia to recognise Kosovo if it does not have the capacity to make internal decisions for visa liberalisation and to claim it can determine decision within Serbia”, he said.

Hoxhaj has also talked about the table held during yesterday, called by the Speaker of the Parliament for harmonising attitudes for the Kosovo dialogue Serbia.

He said it is a determination of the chairman of the Parliament and the ruling coalition to at any cost have a unity -- a platform on how they will be represented in the dialogue.

The “is a little premature to go around the epilogue of dialogue, I've been in negotiations 2006 and 2007, whoever talks about what the dialogue epilogue will look like now in October 2018 is wrong. But, we know what our intentions are, mutual recognition, nothing more, nothing less we refuse. But should we have an agreement signed by both Kosovo and Serbia, of course we should have the agreement signed by both Kosovo and Serbia, should we have an agreement to vote in our Parliament and the Parliament of Serbia, of course we should have such an agreement. Should we have an agreement which should be approved by the Security Council since our goal is UN membership, of course it would have to happen. The process will be difficult, we need political will, we need courage, and the bet for dialogue is not replayed in Pristina, but in Brussels”, he said.

For Marija Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Economics and Digital Society, this is the first visit to Kosovo by Commissioner Gabriel focused on the Digital Agency in the Western Balkans and opportunities for Kosovo's economy.