Bislimia today accepts European Commission report

First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi awaits EU Ambassador to Kosovo Thomas Szunyog at the meeting.

Ambassador Szunyog will hand over Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi the 2023 Country Report for Kosovo from the European Commission.

Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi and Ambassador Szunyog will hold a joint media conference after the meeting, where they will present the Report on Country data 2023.

The European Commission (KE) has rebuked Kosovo and Serbia for failing to implement agreements reached in the dialogue mediated by the European Union (BE) in its progress reports on the two countries, which are expected to be published Wednesday.

Free Europe Radio has seen a draft of the 150-page report, in which the fulfillment or failure to meet criteria on the part of Kosovo is estimated, as well as recommendations the EC has given in earlier reports.

Kosovo has made “limited progress” in meeting the standards needed to join the EU. This is the most frequent assessment in the report, which the EC is expected to approve on November 8th, after the Commissionary College meeting.

But, in this year's reports on both Kosovo and Serbia's, increased attention has been paid to meeting the obligations stemming from the Brussels dialogue, and on this issue the two countries are reproved for not implementing them.

The normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia has been assessed with the same text in both of the individual progress reports, for each relevant country, as these obligations are part of the criteria for advancing the European integration process as well.

Recalling the implementation of the Agreement in Brussels in February and agreeing on the annex to implement it a month later in Ohrid, the report expresses regret that the parties have not yet begun to fulfil their obligations.

The Basic Agreement and its annex are urging the parties to develop normal good neighbourly relations, each recognise relevant documents and national symbols. For Kosovo, the agreement implies recognition de facto from Serbia, while for the latter, its annex envisions Kosovo forming an Association of Serb majority municipalities.

“Both Kosovo and Serbia have not yet begun implementing their respective obligations, which come out of the agreement, which are valid and binding for the parties, and part of their European journey. The parties urgently need to start the most constructive commitment and start implementing without new delays, or preconditions“, the Progress Report said.

The report underlines Kosovo's obligation to establish the Association of Serb majority municipalities. At this point, the document stresses that the first draft of the Association statute, which was presented at the high level of dialogue in May, which was practically Serbia's draft, “, has not been in line with relevant agreements from the “dialogue.

The report now demands that the association be founded on the basis of the latest proposal the parties have been given on 21 October.

Kosovo is expected to launch the process, which leads to the founding of the Serbian majority municipalities' association based on the European proposal, which was proposed before the parties on October 21st 2023, and from Serbia, it is required to support this process and in parallel to start fulfilling its key obligations from Agreement“, the report, which calls for “alities, including those related to approval, should not be the obstacle to progress on the path to implementation at”

The report calls the withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from Kosovo institutions in November 2022 and their boycott of April 2023's local elections as Serbia's <x0-seconds violation of obligations from the dialogue, presenting a major setback to Serbia in fulfilling obligations from the first agreement on the principles for normalisation of relations and direct violations of the 2015“justice agreement.

He calls on Serbia to urge Kosovo Serbs “to immediately return to institutions”, while urging Kosovo to make that possible.

“Since November 2022 neither side has taken a step in this direction“, says the report.

The Serbian list, until November last year, had absolute power at the central and local level, when Serbs from northern Kosovo, with their initiative, left Kosovo institutions.

Such a decision has been made in order for the Kosovo government not to implement the decision to remove plates, which are issued by Serbian authorities for Kosovo cities.

Meanwhile, in April, Kosovo held extraordinary local elections in northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok, but Serbs boycotted them. Thus, Albanian leaders came to power in late May, but the majority Serb population rejected them, which triggered protests and another political crisis.

Kosovo has expressed itself ready to hold elections through an administrative directive, which enables citizens of relevant municipalities to download their mayors by signing it.

The report cites several other obligations from dialogue that have not been implemented, including the opening of the bridge between South Mitrovica and North, the energy agreement, and so forth. Serbia is mentioned as a party, which does not even implement the agreement for cadastres and university diplomas. From Serbia, it is required to do even more in the resumption of regular meetings for implementation of the joint border management agreement (IBM), for closing illegal routes for crossing the border line and to resolve the issue of launching car plates “since this issue has potential to cause tensions in Kosovo”. Kosovo and Serbia are required to have “constructive behaviour” in regional initiatives. Furthermore, Serbia is required to respect obligations for Kosovo's participation, while Kosovo does not keep the processes blocked as it does, according to this report, as in the CEFTA case.

Tensions in northern Kosovo
This year's Progress Report carefully describes tensions in northern Kosovo, concluding that both sides have influenced such crises due to their actions. Kosovo, according to the report, has contributed to increasing tensions with the increased presence of special police units and the Law for Exploitation in the north, while Serbia has influenced the withdrawal of Serbs from institutions and boycotting local elections. In particular, the report speaks of the worst event that took place in this period: the attack on the Kosovo Police by a group of armed Serbs in the village of Banjska in Zvecan.

Although in public statements by the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, this attack has been named as <x0terrorist“, the Progress Report refers only to it as “the violent attack against the Kosovo Police, while within the report it speaks of “a large weapons smuggling “.

The most serious <x0 crisis during the period involving the report occurred on September 24th of 2023, when Kosovo Police were attacked by heavily armed individuals who were caught in a major arms trafficking operation, leaving a police officer dead and three injured. During the operation, the attackers took some pilgrims hostage, equivalenting to the Serbian Orthodox monastery in Banjska, who left them when they left“, the report said.

The report calls on Serbia for full co-operation in investigations and brings to justice those responsible.

Kosovo has blamed Serbia for the attack, calling it “tension to annex Kosovo's north”. Serbia has denied the accusations.

The responsibility for the attack was taken by Milan Radoic, the vice-chairman of the Serbian List ʹ the largest Kosovo Serb party, which enjoys official Belgrade's support.

“Sulmi should not serve as a rationale for any party to draw attention from the EU-enlightened dialogue. Kosovo and Serbia must make significant efforts to enforce, as well as ensure holding new elections in northern Kosovo as soon as possible, with the active participation of Kosovo Serbs“, the report said.

Progress “defined” Kosovo
As far as progress Kosovo has achieved in the areas that the European Commission oversees, limited “progress has been achieved in combating corruption, functioning of the judiciary, in the fight against organised crime and freedom of expression. In most cases, the report stresses that there has not been enough results in implementation, though progress has been achieved in adopting the legal framework.

The report estimates that Kosovo has failed to reform the public administration, underlining that “there has been no progress “in this area.

The political situation in Kosovo is estimated as stable, where the report cites the fact that the Vetevendosje Movement enjoys an adequate majority in the Kosovo Assembly, which has “enabled it to advance an ambitious agenda of European reforms”.

Kosovo is praised for reforming the election law. Already, as a chronic problem, it is cited to prevent Kosovo's Assembly work as a consequence of lack of quorum, despite the fact that the ruling party has the necessary majority in the Assembly. The particular problem in the work of the Parliament, according to the report, is the boycott of Serbian deputies, who only go to preserve the mandates, but continue the boycott.

In late October, Kosovo's Assembly failed to vote a draft resolution seeking urgent financial support for the Kosovo Police, due to lack of quorum.

The report has given some remarks in the area of media freedom. He cites attacks and threats against journalists, media-financed problems that make them sensitive to the effects of political or financial interests, and not the transparency of media ownership. A particular concern in the report is cited in the state of media freedom in northern Kosovo.

Tens of journalists were attacked in northern Kosovo, while covering Serb groups' protests against Albanian elected mayors of majority Serb municipalities in that area this summer. No case of attacks on journalists in northern Kosovo is under trial.

According to the Kosovo Journalists' Association (AGK), 30 such attacks were recorded in that Serb-run residential area of 60 total that were reported so far this year on the entire territory of Kosovo

At the 27 Commissioners' College meeting Wednesday, the enlargement package will be adopted, along with individual progress reports on all countries involved in the enlargement process.

It is the first time the reports will be approved for 10 countries that are in the process. There are six countries in the Western Balkan region -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Serbia -- then Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine -- as the progress report is made even to Turkey, which continues formally to have candidate status for membership.