Thaci: European Commission Report Accurate

07 November 2008 Pristina - Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, responded to the European Commission’s Progress Report on Thursday.

He declared it realistic and added that its recommendations will be “guided and implemented by the institutions of Kosovo.”

“The progress report was analyzed with care and is accepted as an accurate evaluation concerning the conditions in Kosovo in the period October 2007 to October 2008,” declared Thaci.

The European Commission proposed the intensification of political and technical dialogue between Kosovo and the European Commission, while criticizing Kosovo for accepting corruption and organised crime, and doing little to fight these phenomena.

Thaci announced that the government of Kosovo will discuss the report further in a special meeting and at the annual meeting on the Stability and Association Process which will be held on December 2 and will include top officials from the European Commission.

“I express appreciation to the compilers of this report and for the contribution of the institutions of Kosovo, civil society and international structures, having in mind that we will remain partners in further engagements.”

Thaci believes that this report provides Kosovo with an opportunity to achieve European Integration and to develop the capacity to achieve the criteria for EU membership.

“It is the goal of Kosovo to become a functional and democratic state, built on the foundations of the criteria of European Union membership, and to become a competitive and worthy candidate for membership,” states Thaci.

Kosovo declared independence on February 17 of this year, and has clear ambitions to receive EU membership. However, the newborn country is currently the poorest in Europe, with a 45 % poverty rate, and needs to achieve strong economic growth to fulfill certain criteria for European integration.