European Commission reviews Kosovo progress

"The European Commission (EC) says that the Kosovo government has completed many of its most important tasks."

However, it then goes to detail the complete lack of progress in returns, human rights and economic progress - anyone else spot the contradiction of this report with the reality?

Sounds much like the success reports that the US drivel out regarding that other illegal war disaster - Iraq.

Now I think that even Hong Kong model would be to much for them even though I prefer partition. I don't think they are reday for any kind of independence as long as minorities' movement is still limited (read forbiden). They even have no totaly free media, seem they are all under government control. Now I understand why Albanians are so active posting comments over here.

A little pat on the back followed by a serious indictment of all of the failures with organised crime, minority proection and the return of displaced people.

Also a conclusion that economically Kosovo is nowhere near its goals.

How can anyone seriously think that Kosovo could function as an independent state? A protectorate of some sort maybe. As an EU tax payer I certainly don't want to be supporting a dependent state with no structure in sight. Why should I?

Supporting independence would be madness.

I am sincerely starting to highly doubt the impartiality of B92. If the goal of the website is to gather blind nationalists and myopic people together to throw their angry comments at each other, then you are doing a good job.

There are hundreds of issues that are of much more importance than this one, which was published by a few news organizations.

If this website is aiming to become another Serbianna.com then I feel sorry that you are taking away one of the few places where Serbs and Albanians can genuinely argue over IMPORTANT news, and it is worth it for a independent observer to read the content. You are now marginalizing those people who see a little farther than tomorrow.

Regarding the EU commission report, I think it is true to a great degree and very unfortunate for Kosovo. But this by no means does it imply that Independence is not the best solution for the province. Kosovo is a country who is among the poorest in Europe SOLELY because of Serbia's rule - so developing late is better than never. We have to keep in mind that these institutions are less than 8 years old. Countries of the region are not much better in all those categories despite the fact that they have institutions that go back for more than a century.

Greetings first to Kate and Princip Koshtunicas supporters.
Kosovo at the end has very very much progress, example population is increased, economical situation is better than in Milosevic time, Kosovars are traveling everyday more and more abroad,

Pristina as onliest Balkan airport this summer had direct flight from New York, many of our young people are studying abroad, even seems not for someone a progress, Kosovars are set to decide alone for their faith either with help of EU, US or alone for some kind of supervised independence and that's is going to happen
Ilir from Pristina

Kosovo is clearly incapable of functioning as an independent state. That much is as plain as day. Unfortunately Kate, it does seem that the most likely outcome will be turning Kosovo into an EU Mandate for the indefinite future and will be the responsibility of EU tax dollars (so yes, once again Slovenia is funding Kosovo - one of the main reasons for it leaving Yugoslavia, how ironic). If anything, "independence" is more and more coming to mean "independence from Serbia" but little else. With the long list of inadequate social, political, and cultural rights of people in Kosovo, it would be outright foolish to grant it classic independence.

Policy on the future of Kosova was improperly designed from the beginning. Progress undoubtedly has been made but there is no secret that it has been very slow.
Insistence on standards before status made the situation much more complicated as it added a few more dimensions of what was already a precarious situation. It gave time and scope to those that thought a change in the factual reality and makeup would reflect the design of the future state.
Principled as it might have sounded at the time, western policy in Kosova initiated from a presumption of a normal starting point. It ignored the fact that post war Kosova resembled anything but a normal starting point for classifying and reaching standards. Slow progress on Kosova’s European standards should primarily blamed on policy makers far away from Prishtina. If a decision on independence was taken lets say in 2001-2002 the outcome might have been very different.

Kosovo Albanian Communists ruled Kosovo 1966-1989, after 1974 without any Federal control. During that time, billions of dollars belonging to Yugoslav taxpayers were looted, squandered, grafted in the name of "brotherhood and unity by Kosovo Albanian cleptocracy. Kosovo was money pit. IMF had to step in and request that looters be put out of business.

After 1999, billions of dollars belonging to EU and other Western taxpayers has been looted, squandered and grafted by Kosovo Albanian cleptocrats and their UNMIK enablers. This time in the name of "humanitarianism".

The results are the same, methodology is the same, only the taxpayers are different.
Yugoslavia was too small to support the dole, so EU had to jump in.
Kosovo is money pit.

It is frightening to think of an entire society living for more than 50 years on a dole blaming Serbs for their misery, instead of directing their frustration to the core of the problem - Kosovo Albanian cleptocracy at the top.

I bet that the entire Ft. Knox bullion would not be enough to fill the money pit called Albanian dominated Kosovo.

Fatos: "There are hundreds of issues that are of much more importance than this one, which was published by a few news organizations."

It was put out by Reuters and the other big agencies! It was published all over the world - hardly a small story!

B92 often publishes more pro independence comments that against. They clearly fight against bias, and all power to them.

How ironic that some on here STILL blame Serbia for the poor state of affairs in Kosovo! Even today!

Serbia's living standard and human rights are so good so they deserve to lose sovereignty over their country.

Kate wrote:” Why should I?"
Because you live in EU founded by USA and not Russia. You will pay your taxes and this way, you will support a "dependent state with no structure in sight". This is the Era of USA-Western world order, not the East orthodox world order.

organized crime? corruption? this is why...

“Economic progress in Kosovo is still seriously hampered,” and “because of political instability, the capacities for production and infrastructure are limited. The greatest concern is the high unemployment rate"

the EU will say whatever it needs to to get out of the sespool that is Kosovo...with an o...with an o

Fatos,

I too share your concern that this site is more often than not a spot for nationalists to yell at people. Too often the moderate voices on both sides of the debate are either drowned out, or we just refuse to take part in a discussion that's between people more interested in engaging in historical revisionism than actual historical fact.

But we need to place the blame on both Serbs and Albanians here. Yes, there are Serb nationalists whose only purpose in the end is to shout "Kosovo je Srbije" and little else.

At the same time, there are plenty of Albanians who are equally ignorant history and Serbian sensitivities and are only here to shout "Kosova je Albanci" (I don't know the Albanian version, but you get my point).

My positions on Kosovo Province, Serbia Proper and the rest of the Balkans are pretty clear. I have no problem engaging in healthy debate with Albanians so long as the comments are intelligent and civil. Sadly, there are plenty of you guys that are just as bad as the Serb nationalists you rightly point out. A little civility on both sides may not create reconciliation, but it would at least minimize the shouting and mud-slinging both sides, with the predictable names, frequently engage in.

A little pat on the back followed by a serious indictment of all of the failures with organised crime, minority proection and the return of displaced people.

Also a conclusion that economically Kosovo is nowhere near its goals.

How can anyone seriously think that Kosovo could function as an independent state? A protectorate of some sort maybe. As an EU tax payer I certainly don't want to be supporting a dependent state with no structure in sight. Why should I?

Supporting independence would be madness.

"The European Commission (EC) says that the Kosovo government has completed many of its most important tasks."

However, it then goes to detail the complete lack of progress in returns, human rights and economic progress - anyone else spot the contradiction of this report with the reality?

Sounds much like the success reports that the US drivel out regarding that other illegal war disaster - Iraq.

Now I think that even Hong Kong model would be to much for them even though I prefer partition. I don't think they are reday for any kind of independence as long as minorities' movement is still limited (read forbiden). They even have no totaly free media, seem they are all under government control. Now I understand why Albanians are so active posting comments over here.

I am sincerely starting to highly doubt the impartiality of B92. If the goal of the website is to gather blind nationalists and myopic people together to throw their angry comments at each other, then you are doing a good job.

There are hundreds of issues that are of much more importance than this one, which was published by a few news organizations.

If this website is aiming to become another Serbianna.com then I feel sorry that you are taking away one of the few places where Serbs and Albanians can genuinely argue over IMPORTANT news, and it is worth it for a independent observer to read the content. You are now marginalizing those people who see a little farther than tomorrow.

Regarding the EU commission report, I think it is true to a great degree and very unfortunate for Kosovo. But this by no means does it imply that Independence is not the best solution for the province. Kosovo is a country who is among the poorest in Europe SOLELY because of Serbia's rule - so developing late is better than never. We have to keep in mind that these institutions are less than 8 years old. Countries of the region are not much better in all those categories despite the fact that they have institutions that go back for more than a century.

Policy on the future of Kosova was improperly designed from the beginning. Progress undoubtedly has been made but there is no secret that it has been very slow.
Insistence on standards before status made the situation much more complicated as it added a few more dimensions of what was already a precarious situation. It gave time and scope to those that thought a change in the factual reality and makeup would reflect the design of the future state.
Principled as it might have sounded at the time, western policy in Kosova initiated from a presumption of a normal starting point. It ignored the fact that post war Kosova resembled anything but a normal starting point for classifying and reaching standards. Slow progress on Kosova’s European standards should primarily blamed on policy makers far away from Prishtina. If a decision on independence was taken lets say in 2001-2002 the outcome might have been very different.

Greetings first to Kate and Princip Koshtunicas supporters.
Kosovo at the end has very very much progress, example population is increased, economical situation is better than in Milosevic time, Kosovars are traveling everyday more and more abroad,

Pristina as onliest Balkan airport this summer had direct flight from New York, many of our young people are studying abroad, even seems not for someone a progress, Kosovars are set to decide alone for their faith either with help of EU, US or alone for some kind of supervised independence and that's is going to happen
Ilir from Pristina

organized crime? corruption? this is why...

“Economic progress in Kosovo is still seriously hampered,” and “because of political instability, the capacities for production and infrastructure are limited. The greatest concern is the high unemployment rate"

Serbia's living standard and human rights are so good so they deserve to lose sovereignty over their country.

Kosovo is clearly incapable of functioning as an independent state. That much is as plain as day. Unfortunately Kate, it does seem that the most likely outcome will be turning Kosovo into an EU Mandate for the indefinite future and will be the responsibility of EU tax dollars (so yes, once again Slovenia is funding Kosovo - one of the main reasons for it leaving Yugoslavia, how ironic). If anything, "independence" is more and more coming to mean "independence from Serbia" but little else. With the long list of inadequate social, political, and cultural rights of people in Kosovo, it would be outright foolish to grant it classic independence.

the EU will say whatever it needs to to get out of the sespool that is Kosovo...with an o...with an o

Fatos,

I too share your concern that this site is more often than not a spot for nationalists to yell at people. Too often the moderate voices on both sides of the debate are either drowned out, or we just refuse to take part in a discussion that's between people more interested in engaging in historical revisionism than actual historical fact.

But we need to place the blame on both Serbs and Albanians here. Yes, there are Serb nationalists whose only purpose in the end is to shout "Kosovo je Srbije" and little else.

At the same time, there are plenty of Albanians who are equally ignorant history and Serbian sensitivities and are only here to shout "Kosova je Albanci" (I don't know the Albanian version, but you get my point).

My positions on Kosovo Province, Serbia Proper and the rest of the Balkans are pretty clear. I have no problem engaging in healthy debate with Albanians so long as the comments are intelligent and civil. Sadly, there are plenty of you guys that are just as bad as the Serb nationalists you rightly point out. A little civility on both sides may not create reconciliation, but it would at least minimize the shouting and mud-slinging both sides, with the predictable names, frequently engage in.

Kosovo Albanian Communists ruled Kosovo 1966-1989, after 1974 without any Federal control. During that time, billions of dollars belonging to Yugoslav taxpayers were looted, squandered, grafted in the name of "brotherhood and unity by Kosovo Albanian cleptocracy. Kosovo was money pit. IMF had to step in and request that looters be put out of business.

After 1999, billions of dollars belonging to EU and other Western taxpayers has been looted, squandered and grafted by Kosovo Albanian cleptocrats and their UNMIK enablers. This time in the name of "humanitarianism".

The results are the same, methodology is the same, only the taxpayers are different.
Yugoslavia was too small to support the dole, so EU had to jump in.
Kosovo is money pit.

It is frightening to think of an entire society living for more than 50 years on a dole blaming Serbs for their misery, instead of directing their frustration to the core of the problem - Kosovo Albanian cleptocracy at the top.

I bet that the entire Ft. Knox bullion would not be enough to fill the money pit called Albanian dominated Kosovo.

Fatos: "There are hundreds of issues that are of much more importance than this one, which was published by a few news organizations."

It was put out by Reuters and the other big agencies! It was published all over the world - hardly a small story!

B92 often publishes more pro independence comments that against. They clearly fight against bias, and all power to them.

How ironic that some on here STILL blame Serbia for the poor state of affairs in Kosovo! Even today!

Kate wrote:” Why should I?"
Because you live in EU founded by USA and not Russia. You will pay your taxes and this way, you will support a "dependent state with no structure in sight". This is the Era of USA-Western world order, not the East orthodox world order.