EC, Kosovo with agreement on fight against terrorism

The assembly identifies concrete priority actions that Kosovo authorities must take during 2019 and 2020, and covers all five common Action Plan objectives (PDF), approved by the EU and its Western Balkan partners in October 2018.

The priority shares signed today include:

Focus on addressing the challenges presented by the return of fighters who have participated in other countries and their family members. This includes systematic investigation and prosecution of criminal acts committed by them, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes within and outside prisons, exchange of available information for fighters who have participated in foreign countries returning to Kosovo with EU member states.

Supporting structural measures, such as a co-ordinator for counterterrorism and violent extremism, an improved structure in analyzing Kosovo's threat assessment and establishing a co-ordination mechanism for new local projects for preventing violent extremism.

Focusing on money laundering and combating terrorist financing, including correcting shortcomings in the current regulatory framework, a comprehensive assessment of the risk of money laundering and financing terrorism, as well as measures to encourage investigation and prosecution of aspects of financing terrorism issues.

Kosovo authorities aim to report two years to the EC on the implementation situation, including on any difficulties they may face. The agreement also shows the EC's envisioned support in this direction, the European Commission's communiqué said.