Kosovo thinks application for Council of Europe, but sitting is not safe

At the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they say that during this year Kosovo is expected to apply for membership in this mechanism.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister in the Government of Kosovo Rayhan Vunqi told Radio Free Europe that it is currently working intensively on the action plan for membership in the Council of Europe.

The Kosovo Foreign Affairs Ministry has established the professional group for this process. This group that has operated under the management of the minister has drafted a strategy and action plan for membership in the Council of Europe. This action plan will begin to be implemented after building political consensus on this issue, which is in fact the first phase of this process”, Vunqi said.

The Council of Europe is one of the most important organisations in Europe, and Kosovo is the only country from the region that is not part of it.

Xhavit Haliti, deputy head of the Kosovo Assembly, simultaneously head of the Kosovo delegation at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, told Radio Free Europe, that the application for membership in this mechanism must be made, but, as he said, before that happens there must be confidence that the relevant mechanisms will support the demand for Kosovo membership.

“The government has been declared several times in particular by former Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, including the president of Kosovo, that we will join this year or that year, but the response of mechanisms dealing with Kosovo in the EC has been negative, saying that conditions have not yet matured and there is no security, given the way decisions are made in the Council of Europe that such a demand can be passed and can be put in line of day”, Haliti said.

However, according to Halit, the Government is expected to apply according to the rules and prosecutions of organs, which will address Kosovo's request.

So far we've had negative responses, neutrals, so I would say, saying that your terms have not yet been met and your request may not be considered”, Haliti said.

The process of membership in this mechanism is more technical and requires much reform, especially in the areas of rule of law and human rights.

MP Doruntine Maloku-Kastrati, from the Democratic League of Kosovo, a member of the Commission for Foreign Affairs, told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo until August of this year must apply for membership in the Council of Europe.

She said this application should take place at this time, so that the request is taken into consideration by the ministers of the EC member states.

Maloku é Kastrati stressed that Kosovo being the only country in the region that is not yet part of the Council of Europe, its citizens lose much in the field of human rights and in many other areas directly related to democracy and rule of law.

Kosovo's “government has promised that the application would take place in December last year or January of this year. This has not happened because we opposition deputies do not know, but because it has been repeatedly told in the media that the application file has not been ready”.

“The steps the Government has undertaken for the break-up of the Special Court, the partial freedom of media, and the lack of rule of law, are certainly some of the basic reasons that we were not ready for application, because in this way, I believe, we have shaken the trust of friendly states whose support is essential for application or membership in each international body”, said MP Maloku-Kastrati.

European integration acquaintances have said that Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe has been possible much earlier since, according to them, majority votes from the EC member states have been on the Kosovo side.

MP Maloku-Kastrati said it is meaningless that Kosovo still ten years after independence, does not have the file completed for application.