Recommendations for “Kosovo’s EU path”

European Parliament Rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek has presented recommendations in Vienna for Kosovo’s European perspective, said reports. She drafted the document “with experts and officials of the Kosovo civil society in order to present a clear European perspective for Kosovo”, Tanjug reported on Monday. Recommendations for “Kosovo’s EU path” “I am working on a report which should be discussed in the European Parliament in July. I will present the document, which I draft with Kosovo experts, in Brussels (on Tuesday) as well,” the Austrian EP official said said. She added that it was “most important to clearly state that Kosovo’s goal is EU integration, which the EP should stand behind firmly”. “We must work against the isolation of Kosovo citizens and for visa liberalization. I will demand dialog for visa liberalization with Kosovo to be implemented immediately. I was disappointed that the European Commission did not recommend this last week,” Lunacek said. The document presented in Vienna has eight recommendations for policies of the EU towards Kosovo. The recommendations demand an end to the “ghettoizing of Kosovo” and the start of visa liberalization talks. The second demand is for the process of an “analysis by the EU” to begin in 2011, according to reports, which would give the “Kosovo government clear goals that it needs to fulfill in order to join the EU”. It also states that the current activities of the EU mission, EULEX, “need to be supported and that investigations into corruption and organized crime needed to continue, while sending a clear message that no one is above the law”. Lunacek further wrote that a “new mechanism of monitoring must be introduced to EULEX, along with the reorganization of priorities or EULEX in order to focus on northern (Serb-dominated) Kosovo”. The document states that Washington and the EU “must have a united stance towards Kosovo”, adding that the once the International Court of Justice gives its opinion on the legality of the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration independence – made two years ago and still unrecognized by all EU members – “there should be efforts made to convince the five remaining EU member-states to recognize Kosovo”. The final recommendation states that there should be a “clear stance on the independence of Kosovo and the fact that the current borders are irreversible”, adding that a “solution for relations between Belgrade and Pristina must be found”. Lunacek also, according to reports, stated in the document that a “majority of the EP is convinced that there will not be any new negotiations regarding Kosovo’s status”. “We are working on getting the remaining five (EU) members to recognize Kosovo's independence,” she was quoted.

Recommendations for “Kosovo’s EU path”

“I am working on a report which should be discussed in the European Parliament in July. I will present the document, which I draft with Kosovo experts, in Brussels (on Tuesday) as well,” the Austrian EP official said said.

She added that it was “most important to clearly state that Kosovo’s goal is EU integration, which the EP should stand behind firmly”.

“We must work against the isolation of Kosovo citizens and for visa liberalization. I will demand dialog for visa liberalization with Kosovo to be implemented immediately. I was disappointed that the European Commission did not recommend this last week,” Lunacek said.

The document presented in Vienna has eight recommendations for policies of the EU towards Kosovo. The recommendations demand an end to the “ghettoizing of Kosovo” and the start of visa liberalization talks.

The second demand is for the process of an “analysis by the EU” to begin in 2011, according to reports, which would give the “Kosovo government clear goals that it needs to fulfill in order to join the EU”.

It also states that the current activities of the EU mission, EULEX, “need to be supported and that investigations into corruption and organized crime needed to continue, while sending a clear message that no one is above the law”.

Lunacek further wrote that a “new mechanism of monitoring must be introduced to EULEX, along with the reorganization of priorities or EULEX in order to focus on northern (Serb-dominated) Kosovo”.

The document states that Washington and the EU “must have a united stance towards Kosovo”, adding that the once the International Court of Justice gives its opinion on the legality of the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration independence – made two years ago and still unrecognized by all EU members – “there should be efforts made to convince the five remaining EU member-states to recognize Kosovo”.

The final recommendation states that there should be a “clear stance on the independence of Kosovo and the fact that the current borders are irreversible”, adding that a “solution for relations between Belgrade and Priština must be found”.

Lunacek also, according to reports, stated in the document that a “majority of the EP is convinced that there will not be any new negotiations regarding Kosovo’s status”.

“We are working on getting the remaining five (EU) members to recognize Kosovo's independence,” she was quoted.