Pristina, October 8, 2022
The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, participated in the 102nd Rose-Roth seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Mr. Bislimi was a participant in the third session of this seminar, with the theme “Next steps of the region, in the process of European Integration”.
In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi spoke about the challenges faced not only by Kosovo but also by the entire European continent: from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, where he appreciated the support of the EU and allied countries to the crises caused from Russian aggression in Ukraine, such as energy and inflation.
The priorities of the Kurti II Government were highlighted, focused on two main pillars: employment and justice. Economic growth must be sustainable, where we place special emphasis on social stability and equal distribution. During the past year, Kosovo has recorded double-digit economic growth of 10.7%, there has been a large increase in exports of more than 67% on an annual basis, an increase in foreign direct investments and successful efforts in the direction of formalizing the economy. Also, budget revenues increased by over 30%. “When citizens and business communities trust institutions, this translates into better performance,” said Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi. This progress is also reflected in the world rankings as an increase of 17 positions in the index of Transparency International and also 17 places in the index of freedom of the media, 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.
Further, Mr. Bislimi spoke about the objectives of the European agenda of Kosovo, where this year we have applied for membership in the Council of Europe, the issue of visa liberalization has been placed at the top of the agenda and work has been done with the member states in this direction. We have shown the objective of applying for membership in the EU within this year, when 6 years have passed since the beginning of the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and Kosovo remains the only country that has not yet applied for membership in the EU. Also, the objective for membership in NATO has been expressed, starting with membership in the Partnership for Peace mechanism. Regarding the issue of dialogue, Kosovo has a constructive approach, it is an active party, committed to the process and with the objective of reaching a final, permanent, legally binding agreement, centered on mutual recognition.
Last modified: October 10, 2022