Prishtina, 30 November, 2023
The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, participated today in the plenary session of the Assembly of Kosovo, where the Country Report by the European Commission for 2023 was discussed.
In his speech before the deputies of the Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi said that the report, among other things, states that the Government has continued with its ambitious reform agenda towards the EU.
During this period, the report proves important legislative achievements in political criteria, in the implementation of measures and progress in economic ones, as well as in EU standards or chapters. In the European integration agenda, the Government of Kosovo has been evaluated for the achievements in the implementation of ERA II and PKIE 2023-27.
The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the internal reforms in the rule of law, good governance, economic and social progress, visa liberalization and commitment to regional cooperation, which confirm that we are taking the right steps on the way to the European future.
The complete speech of Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi:
Honorable Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Konjufca,
Dear members of the government cabinet,
Dear Members of Parliament,
Dear citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,
The European Reforms Agenda in our Government has been treated very seriously from the beginning. The mobilization to catch up in the European integration process, after several years of stagnation, is bearing its fruits. The last report published on November 8 includes developments from July of last year to June of this year, but if there were substantial developments even after this period, they are included. It is the first report after our application for membership in the EU and after the decision to liberalize visas from January 1, 2024, two facts which are also mentioned in the report.
Before I talk about the content of the Country Report, let me briefly highlight three points:
The first thing I want to mention is that the Enlargement Package this year proposes opening negotiations for Ukraine, Moldova, granting candidate status to Georgia, and after fulfilling some conditions, opening negotiations for Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo welcomes this decision and sees it as an important reflection of the EU in what we see as the geostrategic importance of accelerating the expansion of the EU, and providing security both for the region and with other countries bordering Russia.
The EU membership process should be fully based on meritocracy. Kosovo believes in its European future and as an example of democracy in the region it should be given the opportunity to prove it. We have taken our step, on December 15, last year in Prague during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Prime Minister submitted the application for membership in the EU. We are now ready and waiting to answer the thousands of technical questions coming from the European Commission, in order to be evaluated objectively and based on merit and then receive candidate status.
Second, the commitment and dedication of the Government on the road to the EU is ever greater, therefore as the Government we fully support the “Growth Plan” for the Western Balkans that was presented on the same day as the report, i.e. on November 8 this year. We see the Growth Plan as a right step in the right direction. After many years of stagnation, the recently published enlargement package restores hope for a focus on EU enlargement. EU integration and benefits from the Single Market of the EU must be linked to economic and democratic reforms. Therefore, we firmly stand by the principles in which this plan is rooted. There should be no European Union benefits or funds without embracing the values of the European Union.
The third, which I think is very important, when we talk about the content of the report, has to do with the fact that the measures of the European Commission against Kosovo are still in force and we believe that there is a possibility that the presence of these measures had impact on the writing of the report or the evaluation that was made to Kosovo, which I will talk about below. Also, the measures that are in force contradict the region’s efforts for accelerated integration in the European Union, especially with recent initiatives such as the Growth Plan and the one for the Single Market. Kosovo has taken the right steps, therefore it is very important that the EU withdraw these measures as soon as possible, which are reversible and without consequences, so that the focus returns to the advancement of the European integration of our country.
Now let me return to the country report for Kosovo for 2023.
This report states, among other things, that the Government has continued with its ambitious reform agenda towards the EU. During this period, the report proves important legislative achievements in political criteria, in the implementation of measures and progress in economic ones, as well as in EU standards or chapters. In the European integration agenda, the Government of Kosovo has been evaluated for the achievements in the implementation of ERA II and PKIE 2023-27.
The report positively evaluates the reforms in the field of democratization, emphasizing the consensus reached for the electoral reform and the adoption of the election law. Likewise, the approval of the law on the financing of political parties. These two initiatives will bring more transparency and more democracy.
The report congratulates Kosovo for its foreign policy, when it comes to the war in Ukraine and the establishment of measures and sanctions against Russia and Belarus in full accordance with those decided by the European Union and the United States of America.
In the Assembly, during the past year, 110 laws were approved, which is the largest number of laws approved in one year in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. The approval of the new regulation of the Assembly is expected to improve the conditions and procedures for the even better progress of your work.
Kosovo has also been evaluated in the field of regional cooperation. Citizens in the Western Balkans today will not have to live under the fear of a possible conflict, but work for a common future, and we, as the government, have the responsibility to build this future.
A commitment and good faith is required to introduce and guarantee the long-term effectiveness of the agreements and the respect of all parties who are invested in this process. Kosovo participates and contributes to almost all regional initiatives. The signing of three mobility agreements during the past year within the Berlin Process and the fact that Kosovo is the first country to ratify them, shows our commitment to good neighborliness, development and progress in regional cooperation.
According to our analysis, there are some achievements in the segment of political criteria, more specifically in the field of governance, justice and the rule of law, but also in the fight against corruption, which should have been evaluated and emphasized more in this report, since they were achieved with very important for a democratic society, they were even more recommended in last year’s report itself.
Some of them are:
• Law on the Government of the Republic of Kosovo;
• Law on the State Prosecutor;
• Functionalization of the Commercial Court;
• Significant increase in the number of judges and prosecutors as well as the automatic assignment of cases;
• Law on the Prosecution Council of Kosovo;
• Law on Prevention and Protection from Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence,
• Free legal aid and much more.
Accelerated economic integration and convergence in income with the EU but also within the Western Balkans coincides with the commitment of the Government and the progress achieved in the economic criteria that the report emphasizes during this period, such as:
• In the field of competition and economic growth, especially progress in the field of customs, taxes, social and employment policies, education, culture, and energy;
• Good progress has also been achieved in the area of alignment with the internal market where 16 laws and 35 by-laws have been approved that are within the requirements originating from the SAA itself;
• Increase in budget revenues by 14%;
• Successful formalization of the economy and jobs;
• Increase of 88% on an annual basis of foreign direct investments;
• Significant reduction in the level of public debt;
• Progress in the management of public projects;
• Increase in the export of goods and services, and increase in the degree of openness of the economy;
• Improvement of the business environment;
• Increase in the registration of new businesses and the stable financial sector against the crises we are facing is also mentioned.
Also, the report recognizes achievements in the field of Energy, both in projects and in the field of legislation, such as the approval of the 2022-2031 energy strategy, greater security in energy supply and increased investment in renewable energy.
This year, for the first time, a record amount of 35 million euros is being invested in energy efficiency programs for the residential sector and businesses – which is also the largest amount ever invested in Kosovo. This investment was made possible thanks to the support from the European Commission within the emergency energy package of 75 million euros. Until now, we have very successfully implemented energy efficiency measures in public and residential buildings, we have subsidized over 10,000 families for the purchase of efficient equipment, and we have also launched measures for businesses.
The energy sector is a sector of strategic importance and for the economic development of the country, and we have proven this with the start of the largest and most innovative projects in our country, such as the construction of energy storage capacities with a capacity of 170 MW for two hours, so a total of 340 MW of energy, solar central heating with a capacity of 50 MW, then the solar park in KEK with a capacity of 100 MW, the launch of the first auction of solar technology with a capacity of 100 MW.
Meanwhile, in the middle of next year we will also have the auction for 150 MW of energy generated again from renewable sources.
As for civil society, it generally operates in a favorable environment and continues to actively participate in public consultations and contribute to policy-making and monitoring processes. The report finds that Civil Society Organizations, stakeholders and the public engaged almost four times more in public consultations this year than in the previous year.
Regarding the gender equality agenda, the report recognizes that the participation of women at all levels of governance and decision-making of institutions and political parties has improved. For the first time, women lead half of the parliamentary committees, an achievement which may not have been noticed enough, when most of the members of the EU themselves also have the representation of women at a smaller level.
For the protection of personal data, we have a very positive assessment from the point of view of alignment with the EU Acquis and the Agency is found to be independent and has continued to improve its capacities.
Regarding access to information, it is reported that public institutions have received a total of 4,481 requests for access to public documents, of which only 154 have remained unanswered, which is only 3% of the requests for access to information have not been fulfilled.
The report also gives suggestions and recommendations for the next steps that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo should follow during the journey towards the European Union. We are already taking these suggestions and recommendations seriously and we are making sure that they are included in the National Program for European Integration, as well as in the Action Plan that we are drafting for the years 2024-2028.
As a result of concrete work, according to the Barometer for the Balkans 2023, 56% of citizens trust the Government; the average economic growth for the years 2021 and 2022 has been between 7.9%, the trend of economic growth has continued this year as well, inflation has dropped from 12% as it was in January to 3.3% as it was in October; 60,000 new jobs for about two and a half years have been registered, which represents an increase of 16% of the fund of all employees in Kosovo; meanwhile, as you said earlier, foreign direct investments and tax revenues have increased by more than 2/3.
From January 1, 2024, the passport of the Republic of Kosovo will be many times more powerful, because the decision of the European Union on the liberalization of visas in the Schengen area comes into force. This achievement, in addition to the great merit of our citizens, is also the result of legality, reforms, the fight against corruption and corrupt practices, and good governance with an elevated international image.
Internal reforms in the rule of law, good governance, economic and social progress, visa liberalization and commitment to regional cooperation confirm that we are taking the right steps on the road to the European future.
Thank you very much.
Last modified: December 1, 2023