Opposition accuses Integration Minister of blocking SAA implementation

Kosovo lacks progress in implementing the SAA National Programme for Implementation. Thus, opposition party deputies have praised -- in the intervention of European Integration Minister Donus Hoxha -- in terms of implementation of the National Programme for Implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement for the last quarter 2017 and the first quarter of 2018.

However, Minister of Integration Grant Hoxha has called the implementation of the national plan for implementation of the SAA in the first three months of 2018.

However, the applicant of this intervention, LDK parliamentary group chief Avdullah Hoti, has said that on the basis of their analyses Kosovo has not noted progress in this direction.

Our “Analysis regarding the initial measures in the National Plan for SAA Implementation shows a lack of progress. It should be known that these measures are binding for each Kosovo state institution, but the implementation of the SAA, like many other issues related to the welfare of citizens, have fallen into the shadow of the other interests of this coalition and under the shadow of daily scandals”, Hoti said.

While, Minister Hoxha, speaking of implementing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (MSA) for the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, and thus stressed that the European integration process has been characterised with a progressive dynamic in recent years.

For this year this programme has envisioned implementation of 531 short-term measures, of which 144 or about 27 percent of them are legislative measures, while the rest of the 387 measures, or about 73 percent of them, are implementing measures. During the first quarter of 2018, an overall implementation rate of the 53.85 percent Programme has been reached, as 21 of the 39 measures planned for this quarter have been implemented, while the remaining 18 measures, or 46.15 percent, have yet to be implemented. In addition, 23 measures were implemented before the planned deadlines. This suggests that by the end of the first quarter, a total of 44 measures have been implemented, which make up 8.29% of all 531 planned”, Hoxha said.

As for the situation by the end of March towards implementing legislative reforms, the find show they have reached a level of implementation of 13.89 per cent, as 20 out of 144 legislative measures planned for the entire year have been implemented. While 124 of them, 86.11 percent, according to Minister Hoxha, have yet to implement.

As for 2017, Minister Hoxha said that a level of implementation of the 62.05 per cent programme has been reached after 600 of the planned 967 measures have been fully implemented.

MP Ilir Deda on behalf of the LDK parliamentary group said that when they see the assessment of the implementation of Kosovo's contract with the EU with the SAA they also see the state of the country and Kosovo's ability to fulfil the contract it has received.

If it were to swim, Kosovo would be given a note on its ability to implement the SAA, Kosovo would fail and would not pass any exams and with the report, especially with the first quarter of 2018 report, indicates that Kosovo is not prepared for the autumn either. This too is reality or should be a broken mirror for any of us in this country, for this Government, which discusses or requires Kosovo to move faster towards EU integration and finally when we see the results in the implementation of the contract, it goes zero. The implementation of the SAA strengthens democracy in Kosovo, strengthens institutions, strengthens rule of law and strengthens Kosovo's economy, productivity and makes it ready for integration into the common market in the European Union”, Deda said.

Vetevendosje MP Victory Pacolli said that it has never been forced to meet goals that require deep and substanical reforms. According to her, a government with corrupt officials and established charges cannot make needed reforms to put the country on track.

“If we take the results and look at them for 2018, 531 measures are planned, but only 78 per cent have been realised so far, and the minister just said it is successful and has notable improvement. Out of just 39 measures planned for this three - month period, however, only 31 have been carried out, so there are 18 measures left behind. This cannot be called improvement, this is a deadlock, because 18 measures have not been realised which are meant to be realised for this quarter”, Pacolli said.

Meanwhile, Albanian Pantina, PSD deputy, said the heads of institutions are not reluctant to sign international agreements, but the problem remains in their implementation.

When we read such agreements, including the contract with the SAA, the impression is that they were not drafted by our officials. The SAA is a document that requires that it be drafted together with the EU, but the participation of our officials in negotiation and on the map is extremely low. Their influence is actually extremely low, otherwise I think that if they first took the drafting of this document and the implementation of it would become easier, because they would consider our first capacities, especially the human capacities for their implementation. But the second would also think about how much real will exists in carrying out these reforms, and here we always have a problem, and in this case the main problem of sticking to the implementation of the SAA has to do with people's will and engagement, Pantina said.

But support on this road, the Government, was given to the deputies of the ruling coalition. MP The PDK, Elmi Recica, estimated that the government with the EU Office in Kosovo has made very important steps in consolidating the planning and implementation of national policies for the implementation of the SAA.

“We, like GP, support significant achievements in this major project for Kosovo, without question we have our remarks and are not satisfied with the dynamics and engagement what is defined, however we call for the central objectives of the programme to set measures, actions that will bring concrete” reforms, said Recica.

While the AAK parliamentary group's chief, Ahmet Isufi, said they should encourage the minister, but others to continue working on the European road.

We heard the minister for the past three months there are improvements that have occurred and normally we should encourage, but not just the minister. Indeed, the remarks given here that commitments should be permanent in order to achieve evidence and to come up with the best results so that the obligations we have to implement the SAA can be achieved to the proper level if we want to have advanced integration”, he said.

The head of the Social Democrat Initiative Parliamentary Group, Bilal Sheriff, stressed that the SAA is a kind of road through which they decide how long Kosovo's EU path takes.

“I think that the SAA agreement is the agreement that the past government has worked on, is a process that we are working on as a majority, as a opposition, is worth noting even opposition MPs especially on commissions are very constructive in the debate and passage of bills, which also concern the MSA and visa liberalisation, and generally in the process of Kosovo's integration towards the EU. This is what we are all unanimously, we have no alternative what we need to do now to work harder, with an added dynamic and the path to European integrations to cut, because this is only in our hands and nobody else”, he said.

MPs are still discussing the implementation of the national plan for SAA implementation. While, in the end, it is expected to be reviewed and passed the motion proposed by the Initiator of Interpreciation.

The motion presented by the applicant for approval after the debate ends:

In the two-week term, Government brings to the Parliament the revised SAA implementation programme for 2018, which plans to take into account until now.

The Commission for the SAA and the European Integrations to review this programme in two weeks' time with relevant government officials and toy submit a written report on the Assembly, identifying priority measures and responsible institutions!

After each quarter, the SAA parliamentary commission to present the country's written report regarding the implementation of the National Programme for SAA Implementation and all parliamentary commissions are obliged to forward the work of government dictatorships and other institutions, which they cover with regard to the duties of these institutions for implementing the national programme for implementation of the MSA.