Chocolate: Progress Report Shows EU Integration Reforms Sting

The Progress Report released yesterday by the European Commission in detail has shown the impasses in most areas.

That's what he said in an interview for Clancosova. tv Bekim Colak, former Minister of European Integration.

Colak said that in some areas now two years there have been stagnation and in some other areas even going back.

He also speaks of Vetting, for which the mechanism says the government has not been co-ordinated with the European Union, adding that this is seen by the clearly controversial stance the Kosovo Report holds on the way it is selected.

The European Commission's report on Kosovo yesterday has confirmed what we already know a long time: The reforms necessary for the country's integration into the European Union have stalled, and in some areas we also have a setback of”.

“Raport clearly records the impasses in most areas he addresses. From public administration, the trial of up to the reforms needed for ensuring a market economy in our country in the past two years has not been achieved satisfactory progress. What is most troubling is the fact that the new and highly promoted initiatives of the current government, such as the case with the Vetting process in the justice system, have not been co-ordinated with the European Union. This is evident from the clearly controversial stance held by the Kosovo report on Vetting's chosen manner on the part of the government”.

The former European Integration Minister says Kosovo has fulfilled the criteria for visa liberalisation since 2016 and that the European Union is holding Kosovars unjustly isolated.

Colak stressed that the Kosovo government should be persistent in the states that are blocking this decision.

“Raport confirms what we have consistently said that the criteria for visa liberalisation were fulfilled in 2016 when the official recommendation for visa liberalisation was given by the European Commission and was reconfirmed again in July 2018. The problem lies with the EU Council, which is not making the final decision in line with the European Commission's recommendation and the European Parliament. The EU is continuing to discriminate against Kosovars by unjustly keeping them isolated. It is a disaster that the conclusion of this process has not taken place yet, and the current government must be persistent in its application to the states that are blocking this decision. Kosovo has done its job in this process many years ago, but the EU is being delayed to four-to-one.

The request mentioned in this report for establishing the Association of Serb-run municipalities, Colak sees as a requirement for implementing agreements on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Of course, the establishment of the Serbian Major Community Association in Kosovo results in this report not only as Serbia's request, but also as the EU's request for implementation of agreements reached under the process of normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia”.