Von Cramon: Kosovo continues to prove that it has democratic capacities

The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon, has said that important results have been achieved in the field of fighting corruption and organized crime throughout the country.

According to her, Kosovo continues to prove its democratic capacities. He said this in the session where the report on Kosovo for 2022 was discussed.

The MEP added that the report examines the reforms and achievements of Kosovo, where Europe is finally opening its doors and citizens will be able to travel without visa requirements.

"I gave the speech about Kosovo's reports every year since 2019, hoping that I can finally say, 'joy the freedom of movement', this is no longer a request or a hope, it is a reality, since January next year citizens of Kosovo will be able to travel through Europe without any visa requirements, invitation letters, costly procedures, or waiting in line, Europe is finally opening its doors. Last year was a challenging year for everyone. As we saw the horrors of war returning to Europe, the Government of Kosovo, knowing full well these horrors, demonstrated full solidarity with Ukraine, aligning itself with EU sanctions and even welcoming Ukrainian journalists, for which I would like to I thank them deeply", Von Cramon said.

Furthermore, Von Cramon emphasized that the report highlights the successes and the steps that should be taken in the field of democracy.

"Our report only touches the surface of the challenges and issues that await Kosovo, but it clearly underlines the successes and what needs to be done in the field of democracy, the fight against corruption, organized crime, energy and the environment. So I will describe only three main processes, rule of law, media freedom, EU-facilitated dialogue, and energy transition. Kosovo continues to prove its democratic capacities by having a pluralistic political landscape, which is demonstrated by free and fair elections. The media landscape is also skewed compared to other countries in the region, but it is still important that journalists remain independent. "Important results have been achieved in the field of the fight against corruption and organized crime throughout Kosovo," she added.

Von Cramon stated that the five non-recognizing countries of the European Union must change their approach to Kosovo in order to have long-term stability in the Western Balkans.

"It is important that we continue to put pressure on Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, because for the stability of our continent it will be important how we behave in front of our neighbors in the Western Balkans, and what is important is to look at our history, and if we look at history we know that I can say this as a German, because we have to do a lot of research into our history. And it is important that we do this work, in order to achieve stability", continued Cramon.

The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola Von Cramon, has added that there is a need for support from the private sector and for young people to have perspective.

In the afternoon, MEP Von Cramon will hold a press conference regarding the Commission's report on Kosovo. /KP/