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European Parliament calls for lifting of punitive measures against Kosovo
2025-02-19 16:09:42 / KOSOVA
The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Riho Terras, prepared the draft annual report on the situation in Kosovo and its progress towards the EU, which will be presented on February 20 at a session of the EP's Foreign Policy Committee.
This draft report assesses Kosovo's commitment to integration into the European Union, while emphasizing that Kosovo's future lies in the EU and that efforts to bring the country out of a gray area are in the interest of both Kosovo and the EU.
This draft report also supports Kosovo's application for EU membership and invites member states that have not recognized Kosovo to do so without further delay.
The document, which Terras wrote after consultations with partners and taking into account the findings of the European Commission, highlights "significant progress in the area of justice, security and freedoms, the fight against organized crime and the functioning of the market economy," but regrets the limited progress in the rule of law.
This draft report once again calls on the EU to lift the punitive measures against Kosovo, which it took in June 2023, due to tensions in the north of the country, inhabited by a Serb majority.
They include freezing some EU funds and suspending high-level meetings with Kosovo officials.
"We call for the immediate lifting of EU measures against Kosovo, which are no longer justified and are in contradiction with Kosovo's proven commitment to European values and its alignment with EU policies," the document states.
The European Parliament also supports Kosovo's application for membership in the Council of Europe and its plan to join NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
The report expresses concern about the unsatisfactory situation in Kosovo regarding corruption and calls for, in addition to legal reforms, visible results in investigations and convictions of cases.
Serious concern is also expressed about the systemic weaknesses of the justice system in Kosovo, especially regarding independence and respect for the separation of powers.
"We reiterate our concern about delays in court cases and criticism by government officials of decisions in individual cases," the draft report states.
Concern is also expressed about the security situation in northern Kosovo, especially after the armed attack in Banjska in September 2023, and the attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal in November 2024.
The report calls for the perpetrators of these violent acts to be brought to justice.
It expresses regret that Serbia has not brought to justice "the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Banjska, including the former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoićić."
Regarding the state of the media, the report mentions the existence of a pluralistic environment and underlines the role of the Independent Media Commission, whose autonomy "must be strongly preserved."
The report calls for more transparency regarding media ownership and financing, while expressing serious concern about cases of attacks on journalists.
The document also expresses support for the dialogue process for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and welcomes the appointment of Peter Sorensen to the post of EU Special Envoy for this dialogue.
* In this video you can see the reasons why expectations from Sorensen's appointment are high
After presenting this draft to the European Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee, MEPs will have the opportunity to submit amendments to it.
Then, they will first be voted on in the parliamentary committee, and then the report will be adopted as a resolution of the European Parliament./ REL
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