EU offers financial support for Kosovo over corruption

“We are looking intensively at how to connect Kosovo and other partners to initiatives the EU is taking over in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how best to provide support in easing its socio-economic influence. As for citizens from the region who are blocked in the EU, the Commission is also at stake with Member States for citizens of third countries who can be found in a situation where you have to stay for an indefinite term in the Schengen area as a result of travel restrictions”, said Mr. Várhely sent Prime Minister Kurti.

Mr. Várhely, addressed to Prime Minister Kurti

Dear Prime Minister,

I would like to update you on the possible ways in which the EU plans to support Kosovo in easing the COVID-19 crisis.

Europe is facing an unprecedented public health crisis and widespread measures are being taken across the continent. In these difficult times, cooperation and solidarity are essential. The EU stands next to the countries of the Western Balkan region in finding ways to help address the spread of pandemic, as well as its consequences.

We are looking intensively at how to connect Kosovo and other partners with initiatives the EU is taking over in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how to provide better support in easing its socio-economic impact. As for citizens from the region who are blocked in the EU, the Commission is also at stake with the Member States for citizens of third countries who can be found in a situation where they have to stay for an indefinite term in the Schengen area as a result of travel restrictions.

As for financial assistance, I have instructed my services to:

They use up to $5m for immediate needs financed by EU periphery assets.

· begins work on reassigning assistance by up to $50m from 2019 and 2020 programmes, which should now be used to ease the socioeconomic impact caused by the crisis. Projects originally planned as a result can be financed by the next program.

· t) give urgent priority to projects already on the implementation line that can improve liquidity and support to the private sector. This includes future payment requirements of up to $13m in budgetary support payments as long as relevant conditions are met. Besides, we're looking at other projects and we're going to adapt in line with the circumstances.

Furthermore, we are working together with the International Financial Institutions, seeing how best we can address the liquidity and financial problems of the private sector and review how our multi-state mechanisms, such as the Western Balkans Fund, can best help the region.

We are also working closely with the Council for Regional Co-operation and the Secretariat of CEFTA and the Transport Community Treaty to address issues affecting the supply of essential goods to facilitate the movement of goods within the region, and between the region and the EU. Your request that border crossings with the EU be considered part of the Green Line proposal by the Commission is held in the communications approved on 23 March. We call for your full cooperation to work together as a region, because only through close co-operation and solidarity can a challenge of this size be addressed.

This is a rapidly developing situation, and we will have to adapt to our circumstances. I've asked the chief of the EU Office. PLBE, Ambassador Apostolova and her team in Pristina to co-operate closely with you to move this forward, while services in Brussels will regularly update your Embassy.

Working together, we will emerge from this most powerful crisis.