01/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - Rapprochement sought. On Thursday 1 March, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton stressed that the EU wants to see Kosovo coming closer to the European Union. “We have a rich year ahead of us in EU-Kosovo relations: the feasibility study, the visa dialogue, trade agreement, participation of Kosovo in EU programmes and hopefully EBRD membership”, Ashton announced after a meeting with Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. She said this “will require hard work on both sides”. Thaci said Kosovo's place and that of the other Balkan countries is in the EU and NATO, and that his country is ready for that. (CG/transl.jl)