Author: birnEU

During the discussion, Apostolova provided a comprehensive overview of the relationship between Kosovo and the EU. She also congratulated Kosovo on its continuous commitment to advancing its path towards EU integration.  

Apostolova, a firm believer that education remains a key driver of a democratic state’s long-term competiveness and growth, said that Kosovo should focus on improving the quality of education. Students presented their concerns about Kosovo’s current situation as one of the most isolated citizenship regimes in the world in terms of freedom of movement. Apostolova responded by highlighting the importance of visa liberalization for Kosovo’ citizens, and she confirmed the EU’s full support on further advancing this process. However, she noted that Kosovo should fulfill the remaining criteria, including the finalization of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, which is a condition for visa liberalization. The EU remains committed to Kosovo’s European future, she emphasized, and the EU is eager to see Kosovo seize this opportunity.

The guest speaker urged the participants to make use of their fundamental right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections.  It remains within the citizens’ responsibility, Apostolova said, to uphold Kosovo’s democracy by casting their choices for the political leaders. The failure to vote, she continued, not only implies consent to the existing public officeholders’ governance, but also equates to forfeiture of any right to complain about the current government officials, regardless of how incompetent or corrupt they might be.

The interactive debate was part of BIRN Kosovo’s series of forums organized in collaboration with the UP Faculty of Law.

Alexandra Papadopoulou delivered her opening remarks to a welcoming audience, which included future lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. During the discussion, which was moderated by BIRN Kosovo Executive Director Jeta Xhara, Papadopoulou presented her remarks on the current state affairs, including the upcoming parliamentary elections in Kosovo.

Shortly after providing the audience with a brief introduction on EULEX’s mission in Kosovo, Papadopoulou applauded the students and noted that she was delighted to have been invited to chat with such a promising bunch of young people. Students raised questions of various natures, and specifically were interested to know more about EULEX’s current mandate and its role in strengthening the rule of law in Kosovo.

Considering that Kosovo’s general parliamentary elections are rapidly approaching, Papadopoulou urged students to exercise their civic right to vote; since Kosovo’s young voters account for a large portion of the voting population, the youth vote is seen as a driving force for affecting political change.

A functional democratic society, she noted, is attained through citizens’ active participation, including that of the younger generations. It is the citizens’ responsibility to hold their leaders accountable, she declared, and all citizens should not neglect the importance of voting and its power to initiate change.

The moderator of the roundtable was Lazar Rakic from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Center. He asked the media and civil society representatives whether they have a system of exchanging experiences and information sharing in regards to the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process.

“I think that there has been enough space for the civil society to be engaged indirectly in the dialogue. Part of the blame is with the government; they haven’t always been forthcoming with discussions, and there was something they were not telling us,” Shpetim Gashi from the Center for Inclusive Governance said.

Sonja Sovrlic from RTV Mir in Mitrovica said that this is a painful topic for Belgrade, and that Pristina has not included many people in the process. She added that some of the agreements reached have been lacking in clarity, with clear divisions in how Albanian and Serb media report on the issues. Some agreements have still not been implemented, she said.

Lura Limani from Prishtina Insight emphasized that only after media lobbying, and in particular the lobbying efforts of BIRN, did the Brussels-negotiated agreements become publically accessible. She also emphasized that the negotiation process lacks the involvement of Kosovo Serbs because Belgrade speaks on their behalf; meanwhile, she said, Kosovo Albanians also do not feel that they are part of the process.

Shkelqim Hysenaj from the Association of Journalists in Kosovo argued that the dialogue process has been plagued by several failings, including negotiators not responding to phone calls from journalists. Additionally, there have been issues with transparency, and both teams have not had strategies for communicating with the public and the media, or how to discuss the agreements with other ethnic groups. He said that the Kosovo representatives have not answered why there is no person of reference to communicate directly with journalists.

Milica Andric from NGO Aktiv in Mitrovica said that it is problematic when negotiators are not well informed about the situations of people in reality. According to her, implementation is the most crucial aspect of the dialogue process.

“There are so many small practical problems which can be easily solved, but are important because without them, you cannot get into the fruitful aspects of the agreements. For instance, if you don’t have access to IDs, or drivers’ licenses, you cannot get into verification of diplomas, or the agreement on license plates.”

The roundtable also included representatives from Epoka e re, Tribuna, BIRN, and Kosovo’s public broadcaster, RTK. Participants were eager to continue such discussions on the dialogue between Kosovo Serb and Kosovo Albanian civil society and media organizations.  Prior to this roundtable, two other roundtables were held in North Mitrovica and in Leposavic, where similar concerns and issues were raised.