Kosova-o (67)

 Kosovo - one year after...  

posted by Julia 15 years ago
Kosovars did not have to go to work for two days, the President of Kosovo pardoned or shortened the sentences of 62 people convicted of various crimes, and the Kosovar Prime Minister visited a baby girl born on 17 February 2008 and named Pavaresia (Independence)...
The accounts of Kosovo's celebration of "1 year of independence" are a good occasion to publish reports on every-day life in Kosovo (cf. an easy-reading article by the TAZ/in German or an (mp3) audio-report by D. Auer/Deutschlandfunk/also in German)... or to recall that most "promises" by the Kosovo government or the international community are still not realised:

 (Minority) education in Kosovo 

posted by Julia 15 years ago

Education is one of the key words on Kosovo politician's lips, but the reality  is far from the goals of the Ministry of Education which are summarised in the catch phrase "curriculum reform". Some progress has been achieved: recently, as a consequence of a new accreditation process, all private "universities" and colleges in Kosovo had to close their doors to new students - except the American University of Kosovo which is a branch of a US university. Nevertheless, the situation remains very difficult for youth belonging to a minority group (cf. this "NODE" report on minority rights in the Balkans (pdf), p. 66ff.). (more below)

 Tourism in Kosovo 

posted by Julia 16 years ago

The "first-ever-guide-in-English-that-is-only-about-Kosovo" (as ESI puts it in its newsletter) is out: the Bradt guide book to Kosovo. You can check out excerpts on the ESI website, e.g. a guided tour of Prizren, to Decan and Isniq (a village in Dukagjin).

 

 Europe - a"magic word" in Kosovo 

posted by Julia 16 years ago

As expected, the Kosovo-Troika reports that Pristina and Belgrade did not come to a mutually agreed solution concering the Kosovo status in the last 120 days (cf. AFP and NZZ). "The hour of the Europeans" has come in Kosovo, says a NZZ comment (cf. this blog). Indeed, Europe is a "magic word" for Kosovars, especially for young people in Kosovo, according to Beqe Cufaj, founder of the European Initiative in Kosovo and of the European Library (read more in a background article by Julia Encke/FAZ).

 

 Elections in Kosovo 

posted by Julia 16 years ago

Preliminary results of yesterday's elections in Kosovo have been published by the civil society coalition “Democracy in Action” based on votes counted from 1756 out of 2323 polling stations - click here for an overview over the first results of the Assembly elections, the municipal and mayor elections. Turnout was very low with about 45% (8% lower than in 2004) and nearly 99% of Kosovo-Serbs boycotting the elections (a few days ago, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung criticised the election boycott as "children's games"). Check the website of the Central Election Commission for technical details on the elections and for official results (which are to be certified by  UNMIK on December 4, says BIRN).

 Investing in Kosovo 

posted by Julia 16 years ago
If you are tired of reading about ethnic conflicts, organised crime, and unemployment in Kosovo, you could have a look at the newest publication (pdf) of the Investment Promotion Agency of Kosovo (IPAK), published in the Austrian daily "Die Presse". Kosovo offers indeed interesting possibilities for potential investors and - like its neighbours - it could benefit greatly from investment in agriculture (viticulture), mining, telecommunications, or tourism.

 Kosova-o - Part 61 

posted by julia 16 years ago
"The trouble with conceptual art is that you cannot be sure whether something is a public toilet or an art installation until your art critic tells you. (...) An artist from Prishtina, Albert Heta, exhibited his work: he transformed the Serbian Embassy building into an Embassy of the Republic of Kosova. The first to react were the Serbian political parties in Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church. According to them, Heta's work is an unprecedented scandal, 'a shame for Montenegro'. The priests said that most of the pieces of the Biennale were 'acts of insanity' and thereby made their opinion on contemporary art clear. Since the technique used in Heta's work is not scandalous, nor is the work visually beyond the conventional, it turns out that what is scandalous is that the Albanian flag waved in Montenegro , and that the author used what was once a Serbian Embassy to portray the existence of Kosova as an independent country. His work, obviously, succeeded."
- Andrej Nikolaidis on an installation in Cetinje by Albert Heta from the Stacion Center for Contemporary Art in Pristina. Also check his installation It's time to go visiting: no visa required.

 Kosova-o - Part 60 

posted by julia 16 years ago
The Safe Place Project website offers a lot of resources on the security sector in Kosovo, local perceptions of security, conflict, and small arms, and security sector reform. In addition to a publication section a resource centre contains supplementary material and links relating to peace and conflict, security sector development and arms control. The report Human Security in Kosovo: A Survey of Perceptions (pdf) (May 2007) analyzes data collected Kosovo-wide in December 2006. Here is a short summary of the findings, and in the following two interesting excerpts:

 Kosova-o - Part 59 

posted by julia 16 years ago
This week-end I went on a hiking trip to Novo Brdo, which used to be one of the most important cities in South Eastern Europe in Medieval times. It was an important mining centre, already the Romans had been mining gold and silver there. In Medieval times, Novo Brdo was bigger than London, for example. Now it is a tiny rural municipality consisting of 10 villages where about 3900 people live (cf. the OSCE municipal profile/pdf). People live mostly on agriculture. The aluminium, zinc, and lead mines - which employed about 800 workers before 1991 - practically ceased working. Click on "more" to see photos from the Novo Brdo mine, the entrance to the pit, and the workers changing room. We saw a few workers, visited the pit (which seems in quite bad shape, part of it is flooded), and learned that working 15-20 years in this mine results in an invalidity degree of 80%. Miners currently earn 130 euro/month.

 Kosova-o - Part 58 

posted by julia 16 years ago
If you happen to be in Kosovo this week, do not miss the Dokufest, the international documentary and short film festival in Prizren, which was opened on Monday. The selection for the week-end should be particularly good. Here is a pdf-version of the programme.

 Kosova-o - Part 57 

posted by julia 16 years ago
Tomorrow, the Troika for the new round of Kosovo talks will set off for Belgrade and then Pristina (for some background see B92 and Reuters). Here are some quotes from interviews the 3 envoys gave these last days:

 Kosova-o - Part 56 

posted by julia 16 years ago
Provokativ bezeichnet A. Ivanji in einem vom Standard veröffentlichten Kommentar Kosovo als "Kollateralschaden". Auch andernorts fehlt es nicht an Kritik an Russland und an Aufrufen an die EU, in der Kosovo-Frage eine pro-aktivere Rolle zu übernehmen.

 Kosova-o - Part 55 

posted by julia 16 years ago
As I am a bit tired after following G8 news all day, here a relaxing blogpost about contemporary photography in Kosovo: My former co-blogger Arben/Beni just told me that his brother Afrim Hajrullahu is currently participating with several photos in an exhibition in the Australian Centre for Photography. Following the links on another webpage with Afrim's photos, I discovered some other interesting webpages with artistic photos from Kosovo:

 Kosova-o - Part 54 

posted by julia 16 years ago
The new website of the International Civilian Office has just gone online: www.ico-kos.org. The ICO-EU Special Representative preparatory team is planning for a possible future international civilian presence in Kosovo after a status settlement. It was established by a Joint Action of the Council of the EU in September 2006.

 Kosova-o - Part 53 

posted by julia 16 years ago
"Ever since Martti Ahtisaari made his plan public, we have been hearing the most unbelievable pronouncements coming from Serbian officials concerning Kosovo’s future status. Whether ‘imaginative’ or ‘threatening’, they have the following in common: they are formulated in such a way as to prepare public opinion for a Serbian refusal to accept the international community’s decision. As in all previous years, their statements address only an imaginary Kosovo.", writes the Serbian historian Dubravka Stojanovic in a comment published by the Bosnian Institute.

 Kosova-o - Part 52 

posted by julia 17 years ago
While waiting for new developments in the higher political spheres, journalists are turning towards bar owners and clubbers, analysing their prognoses of the future of Kosovo - Clubbing into a new Kosovo: "As Kosovo awaits the UN Security Council's decision on its final status, BBC News asks Pristina's night clubbers if there is a place for Serbs, in a city where inter-ethnic tensions still resonate."

 Kosova-o - Part 51 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The very interesting last show of Jeta ne Kosove/Life in Kosovo, produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network discusses the violent protests on 10 February in Pristina (here a summary of the events by the Deutsche Welle). The last "Jeta ne Kosove" show can be downloaded on the RTK webpage in Albanian language (click on "Jeta ne Kosove" at the bottom of the page/this show will be online only until the next show on Friday 23 February).

 Kosova-o - Part 50 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The press conference given by M. Ahtisaari after the presentation of the Kosovo status package on 2.2.2007 (cf. this blog) can be downloaded on the UNMIK-website in English (mp3, ca. 40 MB), Albanian (mp3, ca. 40 MB), and Serbian (mp3, ca. 40 MB).

 Kosova-o - Part 49 

posted by julia 17 years ago
After a quiet week marked by the visit of US Amb. Wisner, of J. Solana, by a session of the Kosovo Assembly on the Ahtisaari package, and by a (peaceful) Kosovo-Serb demonstration in North-Mitrovica, a demonstration organised in Pristina on Saturday by A. Kurti's Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) was ended by police intervention when some participants tried to force police barrickades (Tagesschau, RTK). Several activists, including A. Kurti, were arrested, 8-9 persons were seriously wounded, and 2 persons died as a result of their wounds.

 Kosova-o - Part 48 

posted by julia 17 years ago
New food for the analysts and journalists who focus on Russia's position in the Kosovo status process: Russia's Foreign Minister Lawrow said in a Spiegel interview that it was not a good idea to have a vote in the UN Security Council on a solution not acceptable for Serbia, but that President Putin never said Russia would use its veto (Reuters). Cf. also M. Martens (far-fetched?) theories on Russia's interests in Serbia:

 Kosova-o - Part 47 

posted by julia 17 years ago
According to the Standard, Kosovo would need more urgently an economic "rescue plan" than independence, the infrastructures being so weak and the unemployment so high. TK Vogel seems to agree in the following article on opendemocracy.net:

 Kosova-o - Part 46 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Martti Ahtisaari has presented today a "Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement" in Belgrade and Pristina. The main lines of the proposal were published yesterday by BIRN, while the Kosovo-Albanian daily LAJM announced on Wednesday that it had been asked "last minute" not to print the document. The reactions of President Tadic and of the Kosovar Unity Team are the expected ones (cf. yesterday's BIRN issue on the Kosovar expectations of the status proposal and the consequences on the Serbian coalition talks). B92 summarizes the press conference Ahtisaari gave in Belgrade, while the Pristina press conference can be viewed on the webpage of RTK.

 Kosova-o - Part 45 

posted by julia 17 years ago
After a noisy start into the new year punctuated by fireworks and so-called "happy shooting" (which caused 3 persons to be injured, one young boy heavily), Kosovo continues "waiting" (as the government says) for status, for special support from Germany during the EU presidency, for UNMIK to leave, and for the EU to take over more responsibilities - the local media are full of speculations on the timeline for the next months, on Russia's position, and on the power of Angela Merkel... to be continued!

 Kosova-o - Part 44 

posted by julia 17 years ago
After Bosnia-Herzegovina's image campaign advertising BiH as "heart-shaped land" and the promotional video clips inviting tourists to "Enjoy life in Bosnia-Herzegovina", the Kosovar government has launched the official tourism portal visitKOSOVO with a nice photo gallery.

 Kosova-o - Part 43 

posted by julia 17 years ago

Contact Group Ministerial Statement, New York, 20 September 2006:

(...) Ministers support the Special Envoy’s efforts to work with the parties in cooperation with the Contact Group to arrive at a realistic outcome that enhances regional stability, is acceptable to the people of Kosovo and preserves Kosovo's multiethnic character. Striving for a negotiated settlement should not obscure the fact that neither party can unilaterally block the status process from advancing. Ministers encouraged the Special Envoy to prepare a comprehensive proposal for a status settlement and on this basis to engage the parties in moving the negotiating process forward. (...)

 Kosova-o - Part 42 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Decentralisation is one of the most controversial issues in the Kosovo status talks. Here is an overview of the main debates and positions on decentralisation:

 Kosova-o - Part 41 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Kostunica announced a new Serbian constitution in which Kosovo would be defined as integral part of Serbia (cf. Der Standard and BBC)...

 Kosova-o - Part 40 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The Financial Times published a transcript of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign academics and journalists on 9.9.2006. In this long interview-like transcript, Putin reiterated (amongst others) the Russian position on Kosovo:

 Kosova-o - Part 39 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The "verbal conflict" between the Serbian government and M. Ahtisaari did not seem to hamper too much the Kosovo talks which took place this week. The next round on decentralisation issues is planned for September 15th. Meanwhile new scenarios are being discussed for the future of Kosovo: media reports expect a new UN-resolution in November (cf. B92 article). Serbian analyst Milan Nikolic suggests "selling Kosovo".

 Kosova-o - Part 38 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Thanks to "international sources", the Kosovar Radio-Television RTK appears particularly well-informed about the next steps of the international community leading to the solution of the status issue: the Kosovo Report blog presents an English version of a RTK feature on the Kosovo-status "agenda". And what if Russia or China votes "no" in the Security Council, wonders a Kosovo Report reader. According to Michael Martens, writing in the FAZ, the Russian government has changed its mind on Kosovo and seems unlikely to veto a Western/US-proposal for the independence of Kosovo:

 Kosova-o - Part 37 

posted by julia 17 years ago
While Transitions Online reflects on the consequences of the Kosovo status decision on the region and has a quite pessimistic view, Patrick Moore from RFE/RL (Balkan Report 10-7, July 26, 2006) analyses the possible reactions in Serbia (cf. also A Fistful of Euros on the upcoming elections in Serbia). Martti Ahtisaari (interviewed by the FAZ) pragmatically underlines the importance of the ongoing status talks (1) for the participants who need to present arguments supporting their position, (2) for the international community: the contact group members need to be able to tell back home that they tried everything to get a negotiated solution. Throughout the summer, talks will continue on the status question, but also on "technical" issues such as the decentralisation, economic questions, the protection of (religious) heritage in Kosovo, ...

 Kosova-o - Part 36 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The papers presented at the University College London conference on Kosovo after the status talks. Long term policies for social and economic development (London, March 2006) are available here (unfortunately, only in "flash" format which cannot be saved or printed).

 Kosova-o - Part 35 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The high-level talks between the Pristina and Belgrade government brought "no breakthrough", .... except that the Serbia's President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu, and Prime Minister Agim Ceku sat down at one table. The two delegations did not shake hands though, and, according to RTK, the seat reserved for V. Kostunica besides A. Ceku during the lunch break remained empty, as Kostunica allegedly had to make important phonecalls. According to A. Ivanji in Der Standard, Belgrade and Pristina will never agree on the status of Kosovo (cf. also the Standard-article Wohin driftet das Kosovo?):

 Kosova-o - Part 34 

posted by julia 17 years ago
"Serbia's foreign minister, Vuk Draskovic, claims that the future status of Kosovo is of utmost importance for Serbia's future, but like other Serbian politicians, he does not specify why it is so important. Does Serbia's economic or political future depend on the status of Kosovo? Or would the loss of Kosovo mean that Belgrade politicians had to face the real issues affecting Serbia's population: crime, corruption, quality of education, unemployment, health care, democracy and human rights, low living standards, isolation from the European Union?

At the same time, the ambivalence about the status of Kosovo suits politicians: Serbian politicians evoke the Kosovo myth in order to postpone addressing their real problems; their Kosovo Albanian counterparts can always blame the lack of independence as the source of all evils, including unemployment, crime, corruption, crumbling infrastructure and the failing economy. (Mirjana Tomic in the International Herald Tribune, 6.7.2006)

 Kosova-o - Part 33 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The presentations of the conference on "The economic and social development of Kosovo: A challenge for the political stabilization of the Western Balkans" (Ljubljana, 19-20 June 2006), organised by the Vienna-based Franco-Austrian Centre, are now online (French version: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4; German version: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4).

 Kosova-o - Part 32 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Kosovo has a new executive Agency for European Integration, replacing the Office for European Integration Processes and located in the offices of the Provisional Institutions for Self-Government (PISG) in Pristina. Once more, the PISG follow the Bosnian Model of the Directorate for European Integration, a body depending from the Council of Ministers. For more information, have a look at the last edition of Kosovo express, the new online magazine of the UNMIK-EU Pillar, which features several articles on Kosovo's EU integration process.

 Kosova-o - Part 31 

posted by julia 17 years ago
This was the last week in office of UN Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kosovo, Soren Jessen -Petersen, who announced he would resign from his functions on June 12th (cf. D-Welle, 14.6.2006) and had his last official appearance on June 20th when he reported to the UN Security Council about the situation in Kosovo. In his speech (pdf), he underlined the progress Kosovo has made: "I hold that, after seven years of (UN) interim administration in Kosovo, society is ready - indeed impatient - to move on, and that in fact it would be a far greater risk to keep Kosovo in limbo for much longer."

 Kosova-o - Part 30 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Kosovo Perspectives/Kosovske Perspektive/Perspektivat e Kosoves is a new weekly news-bulletin on Kosovo, published KUMT Consulting from Prishtina, the Center for Migration Studies and VIP News Services from Belgrade. To subscribe, please send an email to info@kumtconsulting.com and please specify in which language you would like to receive the bulletin: English, Albanian, or Serbian.

 Kosova-o - Part 29 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The German Development Institute in Bonn hosts a lecture on UNMIK's Impact on the Kosovo Economy: Spending Effects 1999-2006 and Potential Consequences of Downsizing by Dr. Andreas Wittkowsky, head of the economic policy office of the UNMIK EU Pillar, on 30 June 2006, 10am. More details on the web.

 Kosova-o - Part 28 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights has been following the human rights situation in Kosovo since the 1980s and has recently issued a statement following a fact-finding mission to Kosovo from 18-22 June 2006 together with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian Helsinki Committee, the Kosovo Helsinki Monitor, and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia. Here are their recommendations:

 Kosova-o - Part 27 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Members of the Kosovo-Albanian Movement for Self-Determination (Vetevendosja) damaged about 20 cars of the UN Mission in Kosovo in front of the UN HQ in Prishtina yesterday (cf. Der Standard, 21.4.2006). Since 2004, the Vetevendosja-movement, lead by activist Albin Kurti, co-founder of the NGO Kosovo Action Network, has been demanding the departure of the UN and independence without status negotiations.

 Kosova-o - Part 26 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Will the UN soon be replaced by the EU in Kosovo? On 10 April 2006, the EU foreign ministers decided to establish an EU expert Planning Team to design the future involvement of the EU in Kosovo after the end of the status talks (which will mean the end of the mandate of the UN Mission in Kosovo). The EU plans to take over crisis management tasks in the field of policing and rule of law. The EU's mission in Kosovo could become the EU's biggest civilian and security mission (cf. EU Observer, 11.4.2006).

 Kosova-o - Part 25 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The UNMIK publication Danas i sutra (Today and tomorrow) gives a voice to the Serbian-speaking communities in Kosovo (it is published in Serbian/cyrillic, but a summary is available in English and Albanian). Reporters in 5 information centres gather information on the lives of Kosovo-Serb and Roma communities and report about the latest political developments in their area - from a point of view which often remains unheard in the Kosovar media landscape.

 Kosova-o - Part 24 

posted by julia 17 years ago
The newspaper Koha Ditore launched a contest: every person who finds a very large (and deep) street hole in Prishtina will get 4 new car tyres and a photo of "his/her hole" in the newspaper. The hole published in today's Koha Ditore is 1 m long, 2 m wide and 20 cm deep... At the end of the contest, the biggest street hole will be officially named "Ismet Beqiri hole", after the mayor of Prishtina.

 Kosova-o - Part 23 

posted by julia 17 years ago
An article in yesterday's edition of Koha Ditore mentioned a poll conducted by Index Kosova according to which an overwhelming majority of respondents (who were apparently 99-100% Kosovo-Albanian) see the status question as the most pressing issue in Kosovo (more important than unemployment, for example).

 Kosova-o - Part 22 

posted by julia 17 years ago
Here is an article summing up a conference/discussion organised by the Austrian Institute for International Politics (OIIP) in March 2006 on the future of Kosovo. The three key-note speakers were Arben Hajrullahu (co-moderator of this blog), Verena Knaus (ESI) and Dusan Janjic (Forum for ethnic relations, Belgrade). For more reading on this issue, cf. this blog (28.2.2006) and a PhD thesis by D. Senzanonna (free pdf-download in Italian on the Osservatorio dei Balcani website).

 Kosova-o - Part 21 

posted by julia 18 years ago
As a contrast to the speech of V. Kostunica (cf. the previous posting on this blog), you can read an interview with the new President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, published in Der Standard on 3.3.2006: Der Standard: "When are you going to come to Vienna to the status talks?" - F. Sejdiu: "I think I will come to sign the independence of Kosovo. And this will be very soon."

 Kosova-o - Part 20 

posted by julia 18 years ago
The speech which Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica delivered in an extraordinary parliamentary session on 23.2.2006, right after the first round of Kosovo status talks (cf. this blog, 22.2.2006), sums up very clearly the Serbian government’s current position on Kosovo (we should bear in mind though that the Serbian political landscape is quite fragmented, that deep dividing lines run through the government, and that we are not far from the elections). Click on "More" to read the integral version of the speech in English (source: Reliefweb and Serbian government website).

 Kosova-o - Part 19 

posted by julia 18 years ago
Of course [an agreement] was not to be expected and it was not the purpose to achieve concrete agreements in a specific field. This meeting served to present the various approaches of the two sides to decentralization and to explore common ground, and in this I think we were quite successful.

(Albert Rohan, deputy of the UN evoy M. Ahtisaari, at the press-conference after the first round of Pristina - Belgrade talks on 20-21.2.2006).

 Kosova-o - Part 18 

posted by julia 18 years ago
In a new report, Kosovo: The Challenge of Transition, the International Crisis Group urges Martti Ahtisaari and the UN to "prepare for the possibility of imposing an independence package for Kosovo, however diplomatically painful that may be in the short term", as "it is extremely unlikely that any Serbian government will voluntarily acquiesce to the kind of independence, conditional or limited though it may be, which is necessary for a stable long-term solution."

 Kosova-o - Part 17 

posted by julia 18 years ago
A lot is happening in/around Kosovo these days, but nothing very new. At a special session of the UN Security Council on Kosovo, in which Kosovo Prime Minister Kosumi took part as an observer, UNMIK head Jessen Petersen presented his quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo: he deplored that the standard implementation process had slowed down - "Standards, as a political priority, cannot be subsumed by status" - and urged Kosovo-Serbs to participate in the reforms.

 Kosova-o - Part 16 

posted by julia 18 years ago
Kosovo has a new President. Fatmir Sejdiu, secretary general of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and law professor at Pristina University, was elected today by the Assembly of Kosovo. He was very close to Rugova and shares the same views on the future of Kosovo. According to the daily Zeri he will lead the Pristina delegation during the status talks starting in Vienna on 20 February.

 Kosova-o - Part 15 

posted by julia 18 years ago
Michael Martens, the SEE correspondent of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung puts forward some interesting theses about the Kosovo status talks in his latest editorial (FAZ, 7.2.2005)...

 Kosova-o - Part 14 

posted by julia 18 years ago
While journalists compete with analyses of Rugova's life and deeds, the Standard quotes blogs and comments on newspaper websites from Kosovo and Serbia. Here a few extracts:

 Kosova-o - Part 13 

posted by beni 18 years ago
Der Präsident Kosovas Ibrahim Rugova starb am 21. Januar 2006. Mit seiner Philosophie der Gewaltlosigkeit trug Präsident Rugova nicht nur zu einer europäischen Zukunft für Kosova entscheidend bei, sondern auch für den gesamten wiederholt von Kriegen geplagten Balkan.

 Kosova-o - Part 12 

posted by julia 18 years ago
I would like to commment on an article by Todor Kondakov, secretary of the Bulgarian Geopolitical Society and editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian magazine Geopolitics, entitled The Kosovo Trap and published in the Global Politician on 10 January 2006. After summing up the state of the Kosovo status negotiations, T. Kondakov concludes with three arguments which I would like to question:
> mehr/more , 1 Comment(s)

 Kosova-o - Part 11 

posted by julia 18 years ago
According to a Gallup International poll (pdf-document), Kosovo is one of the most optimistic of 66 countries reviewed (after Vietnam and China) - or one of the most desperate for change! 73 percent of the population expect 2006 to be better than 2005. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro, by contrast, are on the bottom of the list: 54 percent of Bosnians and 47 percent of Serbs/Montenegrins believe that 2006 will be worse than 2005... (cf. also Index Kosova).

 Kosova-o - Part 10 

posted by beni 18 years ago

Ein entscheidendes Jahr für die Zukunft Kosovas und damit auch für die Zukunft der angrenzenden Länder hat angefangen.

 Kosova-o - Part 9 

posted by beni 18 years ago
Who will slay the wolf
for F. Altimari

By Ali Podrimja

 Kosova-o - Part 8 

posted by julia 18 years ago
Kosovars belonging to different communities have similar associations with European integration, as the last edition of "Focus Kosovo" (an UNMIK publication, quoted by the blog Balkan Update) reveals: better standards of living, freedom of movement, respect of rights, democracy... but some critical voices are also to be heard.

 Kosova-o - Part 7 

posted by julia 18 years ago
Despite wild debates on the EU budget and on enlargement, the EU member states seem to agree that the EU will take a "leading role" in Kosovo after the status is defined, as has been discussed in the last months. A report by EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn claims that the EU is ready to take over responsibilities currently held by UNMIK in the fields of justice and rule of law, policy, social and economic development. The EU would further provide an adminstrator (following the model of Bosnia-Herzegovina), but without replacing UNMIK.

 Kosova-o - Part 6 

posted by julia 18 years ago

Three interesting articles:

Nach einem etwas pessimistischen Kommentar von Andrej Invanji in der gestrigen TAZ, tut es gut, ein Interview zu lesen, welches von der üblichen Rhetorik abweicht: "Ein unabhängiges Kosovo ist vorstellbar"/Der liberale serbische Politiker Cedomir Jovanovic im Gespräch mit A. Ivanji (TAZ, 30.11.2005).

And one article in English: Jeta Xharra and Zana Limani on Kosovo-Albanian identity/ies and symbols.


 Kosova-o - Part 5 

posted by julia 18 years ago
If the US Camp Bondsteel really had hosted a CIA secret "Guantanamo-like" detention compound for terrorist suspects after 11/9, as the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner Alvaro Gil-Robles told Le Monde (article in French), this would have not only disastrous consequences for the US government, but also for the image of the US in Kosovo and in the whole Balkans...

 Kosova-o - Part 4 

posted by julia 18 years ago

The 21th November - an important date for the Western Balkans (3)

The Kosovo status talks started yesterday with Martti Ahtisaari and Albert Rohan visiting Kosovo.

 Kosova-o - Part 3 

posted by beni 18 years ago
Education and perceptions ....

 Kosova-o - Part 2 

posted by beni 18 years ago
Summer in Kosova, by Afrim Hajrullahu (Kosovar photographer)

 Kosova-o 

posted by julia 18 years ago
After a long Bajram week-end, Bosnia-Herzegovina is back to the preparations for the negociations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), constituting its negociation team. Parallely, the Kosovo status negociations are nearly ready to start.
> mehr/more , 2 Comment(s)

SEE-EU

This weblog is a forum for discussion on the political and social processes linked to EU integration in the Western Balkans. We would also like to use this space to create a virtual network of researchers on this topic. You are most welcome to contribute to this weblog with comments, postings, links, or photos. Please use the "add comment" function at the end of each posting!
All photos by the Photo Arts Collective of Kosovo. First photo by Burim Myftiu (Swimming olympiade in Klina). Second photo by Mimoza. Third photo by Dashmir Izairi.
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