Prague, 7 September 2022
The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, was received in a meeting yesterday by the Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic, Mikuláš Bek.
The main topics of discussion at this meeting were the European future and common challenges. Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi said that this is an important and ambitious year in Kosovo’s European agenda. We applied for membership in the Council of Europe, for which he thanked the Czech Republic for its continuous support. Kosovo expects positive developments and new dynamics in the issue of visa liberalization, for which it has fulfilled all the conditions. Also, he informed Minister Bek about the intention of the Republic of Kosovo to apply for membership in the EU within this year, after a 6-year journey in the implementation of important documents, such as the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the European Reform Agenda.
Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi also spoke about the objectives for employment and justice and the progress that Kosovo has recognized during the Kurti II Government, where double-digit economic growth (10.53%), an increase in exports by 83%, increase of foreign direct investments by 22%, an increase of budget revenues and annual turnover of businesses for 1/3, was recorded. As a result of the ongoing fight against crime and corruption, Kosovo has marked a record annual improvement of 17 places in Transparency International’s index for the perception of corruption, as well as 17 places in the index of media freedom, World Freedom. Meanwhile, according to the World Justice Project, for the evaluation of the rule of law, Kosovo is the 60th in the world and the first among the six countries of the Western Balkans.
“Positive developments, where democracies are the ones that win, should always be encouraged”, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi said, where he also singled out free public education at the university level and the Economic Revival Packages for coping with the effects of the pandemic and those caused from Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Coping with the energy crisis as a common challenge for the countries on the European continent was also discussed, where the goal of transitioning to green and renewable energy was highlighted. Regarding the issue of dialogue, it was emphasized that the Government remains committed to the general framework of the legally binding agreement, which brings full normalization of relations and is centred on mutual recognition.
In this meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Czech Republic, Albesjana Iberhysaj. The Czech Republic holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Last modified: September 8, 2022