Kosovo-Report
Clear signal from Foreign Affairs Committee for Kosovo as a European State
Commenting on the vote today in the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) on the Kosovo report, Ulrike Lunacek, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson of the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament and Kosovo-Rapporteur, said:
"With a clear majority for my Kosovo-report, the Foreign Affairs Committee has given an important signal of encouragement to Prishtina, stating clearly that the future of independent Kosovo lies in EU-integration. Particularly positive is that our request for formal recognition of Kosovo by the remaining EU-Member States has been accepted.
The Parliament is furthermore pushing for an immediate start to the process of visa liberalisation to take Kosovo and its citizens out of its regional and international isolation.
My report also calls for better cooperation in all areas: Further progress against corruption will not be possible without better cooperation between EULEX and the Kosovo authorities, including the government.
The report asks additionally that Serbia act against parallel structures. For the successful integration of the Serbian minority in Kosovo, we are calling for support from the EU, as well as from the government of Kosovo. Only with such support can the Serbian Kosovars be integrated in the new state.
A further positive development is that a new discussion on the status question has been refused by a majority in the European Parliament. This strengthens the independence of Kosovo.
In all, such a groundbreaking vote gives hope for an equally successful vote in the July Plenary in Strasbourg."
