Brussels, 31/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 31 October, the European Commission announced the allocation of €15 million to support the implementation of “the first agreement of principles” governing the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This support, which comes from the pre-accession instrument, will enable a response to the needs of the Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo, with particular emphasis on the municipalities in northern Kosovo. The aid will focus on municipal infrastructure, public administration, rural and regional development, employment and environmental protection.
Additional funding will be allocated on the basis of an on-going needs assessment. The €15 million will be allocated to Kosovo on top of its annual budget of €65-70 million under the EU's IPA programme for 2013.
Delighted about this additional funding to support the implementation of the 19 April agreement on normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo (see EUROPE 10831), Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said that “the EU needs to show it is serious in its support to this process, in the interest of peace, stability and the well-being of the region”.
This agreement provides for the organisation of local elections in Kosovo on 3 November, the establishment of an association of Kosovo-Serb majority municipalities, and the progressive integration of justice and police structures in northern Kosovo into the Kosovo legal and administrative framework. (CG/transl.fl)