On Tuesday 20 March, Kosovo's Foreign Affairs Minister Behgjet Pacolli proposed a duty-free zone between his country and Serbia in order to appease the situation.
"Serbs will never accept the independence of Kosovo, but if they can be offered something they will probably consider it. What should be done is to find an economic solution. I have always thought of creating a duty-free zone between Serbia and Kosovo", he said during a hearing in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee. "Without affecting the two countries' sovereignty, something can be created that can work", Pacolli stated, adding that the subject had already been discussed with Serbia. In Pacolli's view, the dialogue with Belgrade, "which is entering its last phase", should come to an end this year. "Serbia needs to recognise the existence of Kosovo and vice versa, because it is an important partner for us", he said. A meeting between the presidents is due to take place in Brussels at the end of the week (see EUROPE 11984).
Pacolli also called for swift visa liberalisation. He said the EU's "credibility" is linked to this issue, which is extremely urgent on the European agenda. "The current situation needs to be overcome urgently", he said. Pacolli hoped the agreement on the demarcation with Montenegro – one of the conditions for liberalisation – would be ratified in the Kosovan Parliament. As regards another condition – strengthening the fight against organised crime and corruption – "we have done a convincing job", he said. "If you want to do something this year to help us, it is to transform (the objective of visa liberalisation) into reality", he told the MEPs. In Paccoli's view, once liberalisation has been obtained, there will be no more asylum requests from Kosovars (there are currently 700 per year). "There will be no reason to leave Kosovo, the only problem is an economic problem", he said.
Paccoli stated that "the future of the Republic of Kosovo is in the EU" and that "a decade after the country's independence, Euro-Atlantic integration is the most important objective of (his) society". He added that his country wanted the status of EU accession candidate country "as quickly as possible". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)