Kosovo (EULEX)
Deficiencies in EU's legal mission must be redressed but EU member states must play role
Commenting on a recent report of European Court of Auditors, which raised concerns about EU's legal mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Green spokesperson on foreign affairs and EP draftsperson/rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek, who just returned from a European Parliament delegation to Kosovo said:
"The Court of Auditors' criticism of EULEX's work in Kosovo must be taken very seriously. There are clear structural deficiencies with EULEX's work, which have been highlighted in my reports on Kosovo adopted by the EP. Weak internal accountability and weak external oversight are issues that need to be urgently addressed.
"However, the EU's role in the fight against corruption and organised crime in Kosovo is crucial and EULEX can and must continue to play a role to this end. There is a need for EULEX to take concrete action to move the process of high-level corruption cases forward. To this end, EU member states must provide sufficient resources – notably judicial staff and support for witness protection programmes – to ensure the proper functioning of the mission."
Commenting on the outcome of the delegation, Ulrike Lunacek continued:
"The willingness of Kosovan and Serbian authorities to deliver results, as promised in the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue, was evident in our meetings and this is to be welcomed. In order to copper-fasten the progress of both countries towards EU accession, rhetoric needs to be followed by action, for example on integrated border management by Serbia and on preparing benchmarks in order to prepare for visa liberalisation and related to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement by Kosovo."
