site.btaUPDATED EP Rapporteur for Kosovo: Country's Government Seems to be Lacking Political Will for Progress in European Integration

It seems there is no political will in the Government of Kosovo for progress in the country's European integration. They have applied for membership in the Council of Europe and the EU, but the necessary steps they have to take to achieve that are not made, European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur for Kosovo Viola von Cramon-Taubadel told BTA. "On one hand they say they would like to become a member of NATO, EU, Council of Europe, but then if you know the rules of the club you try to play according to the rules and not to violate the rules," she said.

She believes that Kosovo's Government “does not make life easier for its citizens” and it is sending very mixed signals. “Kosovo citizens deserve the most ambitious path towards the EU,” she said.

She added that the international partners are tired of Pristina's inaction, and that led to the introduction of punitive measures by the EU last year.

The EP Rapporteur told BTA that to join the EU, Kosovo must be recognized as an independent country by the Member States. Five of them do not recognize Kosovo's independence. 

She said further: “Everyone agreed that we need a successful finishing of this dialogue. I don’t think it would be fair to have unilaterally conditions or criteria for one of the sides. If one side decides not to work on the implementation of the agreement I don’t think this is super smart. It would be much easier if Kosovo come up and say: we’ve done these points to fulfill the criteria. Then there would be enormous pressure for the Serbian side, from the EU, from the US, from everyone else, so Serbia will do its part. But since Kosovo doesn’t do this it’s super easy for the autocratic president (Alexander Vucic) to say: look, there’s no interest on the other side, why should I invest political capital.”

She also commented on the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo’s decision that cash transactions must be in euro as of February 1. That decision has increased the local Serbian community’s concerns as they receive their salaries and pensions in Serbian dinar and use them for payments in Kosovo. The international community called for a transition period where both currencies can be used, but Pristina is against that option for now.

“Kosovo is a sovereign state and it is its right to decide which currency they accept. On the other side if you follow how they have tried to implement this decision by not informing those people who will be affected by it, by hiding it, by not sending this information in Serbian language, by not consulting with them. This was all against the interest of ordinary people,” she said.

Everyone in EU and Washington is asking why are they doing this, “why again, why are they trying to fight each and every fight”, to use the words of Viola von Cramon. “But in the end - and that is the sad thing - they want to target the ordinary citizens with a Serbian minority background. That is what drives people crazy because when Kosovo was founded it was clearly said we deal with a multiethnic state, a multiethnic society and we need provisions and place which will safeguard this multiethnic society. Now we see that the ruling party and many of their followers don’t care.”

According to the EP Rapporteur, it is absolutely realistic that Kosovo will become a member of the EU. “But I wish we would see a government that will work in the interest of people of Kosovo to achieve this. The reality is different and it’s rather frustrating,” she told BTA.