GDP seeks parliamentary debate over green card

The group of Independent Deputies has submitted the request for the Parliamentary Debat in connection with the green card. Kosovo is the only country in Europe and the region whose citizens do not enjoy green card rights.

This parliamentary group's MP, Faton Topalli, supported by MPs: Dardan Sejdiu, Dardan Molyqaj, Visar Ymeri, Aida Drsguti, Ismaili Ismaili, Dukagjini Gorani, Driton Chaushi, Besa Baftiu, Salih Salihu, Frasher Krasniqi and Albanian Pantina, have today depositeded in the head of the Republic of Kosovo's Parliament for special debate over green card.

In reasoning of this requirement, it is stressed that Kosovo is the only country in Europe and the only country in the region whose citizens do not enjoy green card rights. For Kosovo citizens, the lack of green cardboard causes high spending on any trip to the European Union states. Even our citizens, living abroad, also face double expenses for border policy. Their security is not valid because Kosovo is not a member of the Council of Bureaus for Green Carton in Geneva, the excuse said. If this issue were regulated, Kosovo exiles would not be forced to pay any additional cents.

They have so far paid over 200m euros, while they have benefited extremely little. To illustrate, we are taking the period from 2000 to 2014.

Incomes for insurance policy (border polices) during this time have been 57.784,494 euros, while damages caused by fellow countrymen for the same period of 5,660,082. Overall expenses, so they make up little less than 10% of the amount they paid. In 2014, revenues from border police have been 14.7m euros, while the expenditures caused by damages of 1.25 million, which amount to about 8.4% of the total. From border policy to green card, insurance companies have achieved tremendous profits.

In June 2001 a decision was made by the General Assembly of the Bureau Council in Geneva to install a special model for Kosovo for green card. This decision was never exploited and never made public.

In September 2011, the Kosovo Security Bureau has announced that on September 30th 2011 it has submitted applications to the Bureau for Green Carton Council. It also announces that a positive response has been returned from this institution, sending the package with the questionnaire for application to the KBCG, which the BSK must complete and submit to Brussels before October 28th 2011. What happened next is no concrete announcement.

Early in April 2014, the European Bureau Council was hired to allow the sale of green cardboard for Kosovo, but the agreement was not finalised due to rejection by security companies in Kosovo.

From this point on, we have no accurate and public information about what has been done, where the green card implementation talks have remained, and what are the steps planned for the matter.

The CEC, in May 2015, following a series of requests in the Kosovo Assembly by the MEPs of the Vetevendosje Movement cut the price of border policy for 50%. This decrease came with a delay of more than a decade. Never gave them any reason why such a discount was not done before 3.5 or 10 years ago.

What is known is also the fact that Kosovo was able to make bilateral agreements with other countries to regulate the issue. Of 46 member states in Geneva, 12 have only bilateral agreements. Our country has memorandums of understanding only with Albania and Macedonia. There is no official information on whether there has been efforts for bilateral agreements with countries from which most exiles come from Kosovo, such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France or the Scandinavian countries.

The border policy, the green card, respectively, has become monopoly on various insurance companies. This conflicts with the Competition Law and the Law for the Protection of Consumers (Nani 4, points 1.1, 1.2 and 1.5 of the Competition Law and Point 13 of the Law to Protect Consumers, these that are aimed at preserving monopoly, securing real prices and protecting consumers).

The situation we are in seems to be vague. The Kosovo Assembly being an overseer body on the CEC, the Competition and Consumer Authority must analyse the situation and take the recommendations needed to get out of this situation and put in line the direction of the problem for which the debate has been invited.

Forgers of the demand for debate have deliberately made no preliminary recommendations. The recommendations should come after the outcome of the debate by representatives of all political parties, relying on discussions and recommendations to be given during the debate, the reason is said.