More responsible municipalities than the central level meet SAA obligations

Kosovo municipalities have fulfilled 67 per cent of the obligations stemming from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, but not even the national level, where only 12 per cent has been fulfilled so far.

So said the presentation of the report “The implementation of the SAA at the municipal level, achieved and challenges in the seven largest municipalities”, carried out the GAP institute,

The blame for the central level was said to be the opposition that is not contributing to the adoption of laws, while for the local level, which is out of reach, was said to be insufficient human and budgetary capacities.

Mehmeti said the goal has been to co-ordinate central institutions with local ones for implementing the SAA at the local level, where it is seen that better inter-institutionary co-ordination is needed.

Bekim Salihu from this institute, presenting the report, said they have found that some municipalities have offices for European integration, some municipalities have only officials for European integration.

“E saw a co-operation structure in the local level regarding the issue of addressing European integration, although the regulation requires that each municipality should have office and not director, should have office and not department, should have office and not official, officials for European integration are not trained to apply to EP funds. The community has difficulty and unable to take advantage of these funds. Last year, Kosovo has had access to IEP funds -- 67m euros -- and 31m euros have been obtained from them -- and none of them have been benefited by municipalities“, he said.

Parliamentary Commission for European Integration Chairman Blerta Deliu said the SAA is the most serious contract between the EU and Kosovo.

“We are in an extremely important and challenging phase, you know that recently the Assembly is facing a bad situation because of the inability to adopt laws because of the opposition blockade, which in a sense is giving poor signals, not only in the process of visa liberalisation, but also in the implementation of the MSA because the most fair reference is to a number of laws that we should end up as a place to complete this process and for concrete results, it has said.

Secretary General at the Ministry of European Integration, the Cukaj Framework mentions some of the challenges to implementing the SAA.

“The challenge for all areas is insufficient human and budgetary capacities for implementing sustainable reforms, though local governance is always gaining more competence. Further considering that the SAA in economic development, another challenge for the central level, is insufficient institutional capacity for preparing and managing investment projects, the challenge is also in implementing the “legislation, he has said.

And, Ministry of Management and Local Power Secretary Rosafa Uke-Imeraj said that by 2013 they have identified all obligations that are due to municipalities for the SAA, and now every month have meetings with municipal representatives to identify all the obligations that municipalities have.

She praised work and engagement for the SAA. Uk-Imeraj: The SAA, completed only 12 per cent “on political criteria, has achieved a 70 % performance of implementation in the first six months, is in the economic criteria 65 % and at European standards 65 %. I have to say that in 2017, municipality tasks have not been involved in the SAA national plan, which the Ministry of European Integration reports and despite this encouraging result, totaling 67 %s, we have fulfilled at MSA's 12 %s national level, to this point“, Uke-Imeraj said. Otherwise, the report offers a range of recommendations, with particular emphasis on strengthening municipal offices for European integration.