Prishtina, 25 May, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, today welcomed the European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, who visited Kosovo.
The advancement of the European reform agenda, institutional cooperation in the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and energy security, and regional integration were issues of particular emphasis in this meeting.
Prime Minister Kurti informed Commissioner Várhelyi about the results of the government, especially in the economic and democratic spheres, achievements which are continuously being evidenced by international reports, as recently done by the European Bank for Construction and Development, which foresees that Kosovo will have the growth largest economy in the Western Balkans for the years 2022 and 2023, and the Freedom House report “Countries in Transition 2023”, in which Kosovo this year received the highest rating ever for the quality of democracy.
Commissioner Várhelyi was impressed with the results achieved and emphasized that the liberalization of visas is the result of the fight against corruption and organized crime.
Together, they discussed the findings of the Country Report for this year, which confirms that Kosovo has made progress in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and has intensified legislative activities, as well as the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia and the need to accelerate the region’s integration into the European Union.
Prime Minister Kurti invited the European commissioner for more cooperation, especially in the reform of the justice system, as he expressed his gratitude for the continuous financial assistance of the European Union in many areas, especially recently in overcoming the energy crisis.
In the framework of the cooperation between Kosovo and the European Union, today the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, together with the ambassador of France in Kosovo, Olivier Guérot and that of Italy, Antonello De Riu, launched the EU-Kosovo Home Affairs Program. This EU-funded program of 6.5 million euros will be implemented in a three-year period with the support of France, Italy and Belgium and will contribute to strengthening the capacities of Kosovo’s institutions in the fight against organized crime and international strengthening cooperation.
Last modified: May 26, 2023