Prishtina, 21 July 2022
The Governments of the Republic of Kosova and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg signed the Bilateral Agreement for development cooperation and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a ceremony held in Prishtina on 21 July 2022. Both agreements were signed by Mr Besnik Bislimi, First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, representing Kosovo, and Mr Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, representing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The bilateral agreement is valid until 2030 and the MoU reflects mutually agreed areas of interventions for the period 2023-2025. The priority sectors for common development cooperation between the Governments of the Republic of Kosovo and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will be: 1. Vocational Education and Training (VET); 2. Health; 3. Sustainable and inclusive growth and 4. Strengthening the Kosovo Civil Society. The indicative financial contribution provided by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the implementation of the projects and programs in the priority sectors listed above is set at thirty-five (35) million euros over the three-year period between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025.
During the ceremony, the head of the Kosovo delegation, Mr Besnik Bislimi, First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, mentioned that while these agreements were a continuation of the support that the Republic of Kosovo had received from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the framework of development cooperation, the long-term goal remained to further deepen the partnership between the two countries and to focus on economic cooperation and joint investments in support of Kosovo’s European integration path in the future. He emphasized that the selected interventions were focused on areas where Kosovo could benefit from Luxembourg’s experience and provide a potential for synergy.
The head of the Luxembourg delegation, Mr Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, said that the signature of the bilateral agreement and the MoU marked a historic moment in the longstanding partnership between the Republic of Kosovo and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He added that turning from traditional development cooperation, which had defined the relations between both countries for the past two decades, to a more diversified and fully-fledged partnership allowed to build on the strengths and value added of each partner.
The bilateral agreement will be sent for approval to the Assembly of Kosovo in the second half of the year. Once approved, it will allow both parties to elaborate detailed projects in the previously identified areas of intervention, which are set to become operational as of 2023.
Last modified: July 21, 2022