7.2.2023
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 47/127 Wednesday 6 July 2022
58.
Commends cultural and youth initiatives, such as the annual cross-border art festival ‘Mirëdita, Dobar Dan!’, which promotes cooperation between artists and activists in Kosovo and Serbia; encourages Kosovar and Serbian authorities, including at the local level, to further build upon such positive initiatives and use cultural heritage as means of bringing different communities together; encourages the establishment of a multinational and multilingual public broadcaster that would promote peace and reconciliation among Western Balkan countries, following the example of ARTE; 59.
Calls for the EU to further strengthen foreign policy and security cooperation, public diplomacy and international partnerships in order to achieve progress in reconciliation; welcomes the renewed engagement of the EU allies, in particular the appointment of US, UK and German special envoys for the Western Balkans; calls for them to engage in close cooperation and coordination with the EU envoy with a view to strengthening leverage and providing coherent advice and support; 60.
Acknowledges the important contribution of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the participating states in building and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all citizens in Kosovo and in facilitating the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans; recalls KFOR’s importance to the ongoing development of the Kosovo Security Force by providing advice, training and capacity building; 61.
Calls on the Commission and the EU Office in Kosovo to step up their efforts in enhancing visibility and promoting the role, efforts and benefits of the closer partnership between the EU and Kosovo;
Socioeconomic reforms 62.
Welcomes positive developments in Kosovo’s economic growth; welcomes that Kosovo will also benefit from the EU digital single market, given the great potential of digitalisation for the development of Kosovo’s economy; 63.
Welcomes the steps undertaken by the government aiming to reduce the informal economy; regrets, however, the fact that Kosovo’s large informal economy continues to hinder the development of its private sector; notes the existence of a strategy and a corresponding action plan to address the underlying causes of informality, but calls for more effective implementation; notes the large percentage of personal remittance inflows in Kosovo’s GDP; 64.
Commends Kosovo for its successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the vaccination process; welcomes that Kosovo has only purchased COVID-19 vaccines produced and certified by the EU, UK and the US and that work is progressing for Kosovo to qualify for the European digital COVID certificate; 65.
Welcomes the government’s emergency measures and the creation of 25 000 new jobs through its recovery package; underlines, however, that assistance for the groups most affected by the pandemic was limited; encourages Kosovo to provide well-targeted and temporary pandemic-related fiscal support to vulnerable households and businesses; stresses that the post-pandemic recovery will significantly depend on the authorities’ ability to address structural challenges and on the effective implementation of the economic support packages; 66.
Welcomes the disbursement of a COVID-19 macro-financial assistance package aimed at mitigating economic impacts of the pandemic and preserving macroeconomic stability, as well as the mobilisation of EUR 14,2 billion from IPA III to support Western Balkans partners in meeting the requirements for European Union membership; 67.
Underlines that the implementation of both fundamental and structural reforms remains essential for economic recovery and social development, as efforts to tackle corruption, improve the rule of law, enhance transparency and strengthen institutions and social dialogue will also contribute to attracting foreign direct investments to the country; calls on Kosovo to further align with the EU single market acquis and calls on Kosovo’s authorities and the Commission to further support small and medium-sized enterprises in order to develop a stronger and more resilient economy; 68.
Underlines that the inadequate and unreliable supply of electricity is one of the constraints on Kosovo’s competitiveness and that the lack of energy security gives rise to significant costs for business and represents a major obstacle to attracting high-quality foreign direct investment; urges Kosovo to step up efforts to make use of the potential for energy efficiency;