7.2.2023
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 47/123 Wednesday 6 July 2022
23.
Urges the government to address concerns appropriately and implement the 2016 ruling of the Constitutional Court granting parcels of land to the Visoki Dečani Monastery; is concerned that the authorities have still not implemented this court decision, thereby undermining the government’s commitment to enforcing the rule of law and its respect for an independent judiciary, as well as the country’s international reputation; underlines the importance of implementing all Constitutional Court decisions; calls on the government to apply a non-selective approach to the concept of rule of law;
24.
Commends the work of the European Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), which has been assisting Kosovar authorities in establishing sustainable and independent rule of law institutions; welcomes the prolongation of the EULEX mandate, as well as the recent deployment of a temporary unit to strengthen the capacities of the EULEX Formed Police Unit; encourages Kosovo to continue its cooperation with EULEX and with the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, as an important demonstration of its commitment to the rule of law;
25.
Welcomes the working arrangement between the Kosovo Police and Europol of July 2020, which will constitute the basis for enhanced cooperation in fighting organised crime, terrorism and extremism, and calls on Kosovar authorities to make full use of this potential; underlines, in this context, that Interpol is an important instrument in the fight against organised crime; regrets that Kosovo is not yet a member of Interpol, despite its multiple attempts to join and calls for Kosovo’s inclusion in Interpol and on the EU Member States to proactively support Kosovo's bid to join this organisation;
26.
Urges the Commission to implement the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022, in order to ensure an effective rule-of-law impact of EU financial assistance in the Western Balkans, in particular by developing guidelines on the application of IPA III provisions on modulation and stricter parliamentary scrutiny over the funds; calls on the Commission to link funding more closely to progress on the rule of law, to increase support to civil society organisations (CSOs) and independent media outlets, and to improve project reporting and monitoring, as repeatedly called for by Parliament; calls in this respect for better coordination of rule of law programmes supported by international donors to be ensured;
27.
Calls for the EU and the Western Balkan countries to establish a framework for fruitful cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Western Balkan countries, in order to ensure that the EPPO can effectively exert its competences in the area of EU funds, in particular IPA III funds;
Respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights
28.
Notes that Kosovo’s legal and institutional framework broadly guarantees the protection of human, minority and fundamental rights, but that implementation is key; calls on Kosovo to better integrate children with disabilities into educational institutions; stresses that more effort is required to provide children with disabilities access to quality education;
29.
Regrets the Kosovo Assembly’s failure to adopt the draft Civil Code at the first reading, and calls for its adoption once the Civil Code is again submitted to the plenary, which would bring much-needed progress for Kosovo citizens, in particular in improving the conditions of the most vulnerable parts of Kosovo society, especially women, children and LGBTI+ persons, and would have a positive impact on the economic development of Kosovo; expresses its support for the inclusion of same-sex partnerships in the legislation, in line with the Kosovo constitution;
30.
Is concerned that while legislation and policies for LGBTI+ persons have progressed, implementation is lacking; condemns all discriminatory and degrading speech against the LGBTI+ community, including by some high-level politicians; calls, in this regard, for the Kosovar leadership to more publicly promote fundamental human rights for all citizens, including LGBTI+ people;
31.
Regrets the fact that the initiatives to involve the Serb community in Kosovo’s political, social and economic structures are only very limited; calls on the Kosovo Government and the representatives of Kosovo Serbs to fulfil their promise to commit to the internal dialogue and genuinely engage with independent civil society organisations in Serbian communities, in particular in the north, with the aim of successfully integrating them; calls on the EU to further facilitate and support inter-community programmes; welcomes the Kosovar authorities’ efforts to fight racism and address inter-ethnic incidents;