Activities 2012
“Open Air” Discussion: Kosovo’s Agenda towards EU Perspective
16.05.2012
EU Integration constitutes one of Kosovo’s key future objectives. However, before this objective can be reached, several reforms will have to be implemented by the government – reforms that have a potential to advance Kosovo’s overall development. This is one of the major suggestions pointed out in the Policy Brief “Kosovo Feasibility Study, EUs Chance to Anchor Kosovo” which was published by the Development Group LLC in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. On 16th May, when the publication was presented to a broad audience, the Minister of EU Integration Vlora Çitaku complimented Shenoll Muharremi – author of the study – on his contribution and promised her commitment to the recommendations put forward in the paper.
On this occasion, the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation also welcomed their new country director Wulf Lapins and bid farewell to former country representative Beate Martin.
The Policy Brief can be accessed here.
Regional Conference: Developments in Macedonia, the Valley of Presevo and the North of Kosovo
16.05.2012
Recent developments in Macedonia, the Valley of Presevo and Northern Kosovo provided the basis for a conference on 16th May, organized by the Foreign Policy Club in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The murder of two Albanians by a Macedonian policeman, the assassination of five Macedonians and the arrest of a number of Albanians afterwards, have exacerbated ethnic tensions in Macedonia and seem to endanger the Macedonian-Albanian coexistence.
Also, arrests of Albanians in Presovo Valley prior to Serbia's national elections and renewed violence in Northern Kosovo have created the impression that the entire region could be destabilized again. In light of these developments, some speculations have emerged – speculations that interpret the events as expressions of a common Serbo-Macedonian policy against Albanians.
The experts, present at the conference, offered their views on those speculations and gave their advice on what policy makers should do, in order to prevent further eruptions of violence. Political analyst Azem Vllasi, for example, stressed that a constructive dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo was essential. Both sides had to safeguard the safety of minority communities and had to show mutual respect for territorial integrity.
Conference: Mapping the UNSCR 1244 Legacy in post-independence Kosovo: Between Recognition and Contestation
16.05.2012
United Nation
s Security Council resolution 1244, adopted on 10 June 1999, authorised an international civil and military presence and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Since its adoption, the international presence in Kosovo has provoked an ongoing and often controversial discussion. One of those discussions took place on 10.05. in Prishtina and was organized by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. The debate was based on a study KCSS has written on the basis of interviews conducted with various international and national stakeholders. In this paper, they reflect on the function and mandate of the international actors in Kosovo as well as on their budget and their cooperation with Kosovo institutions in the period from 2008 to 2012.
The publication can be accessed here.
European Youth Parliament
03.05.-06.05.2012
Kosovo’s accession to the European Union constituted one focal point of this year’s European Youth Parliament which, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, took place from 03.05.-05.05. in Prishtina. It is supposed to offer its participants a first-hand experience of democratic decision-making and further enables them to build new networks and friendships.
During the activity, the participants work in committees debating real political issues concerning Europe and its future. They write resolutions which, in a second step, are presented and debated in a General Assembly (GA). The resolutions produced by each of the committees at the Session and voted on at the GA, are published in a Resolution Booklet and afterwards circulated to national and international organisations such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and national parliaments. They act as valuable inputs of the European youth and public discussion.
Dedicated to the overall theme “Dialogue within a dynamic Europe”, the EYP in Prishtina focused on the question of how to build a Europe that is dynamic and capable of reform in all policy areas – in economic policy, human rights, foreign and environmental policy. The basic assumption behind the theme is that Europe needs to be a dynamic motor in building a better world.
To find out more about the initiative, you should visit www.eypej.org/
Conference "Foreign Policy Objective for Kosovo 2012-2013"
26.04.2012
What are the major challenges, objectives and opportunities with regard to Kosovo’s foreign policy in 2012-2013? This was one of the main questions that was discussed by representatives of the government, the opposition and civil society during a conference organized by the Foreign Policy Club (FPC) in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS).
The particpants of the event agreed that there were many challenges lying ahead of the country. First of all, it was important to increase the number of nations that recognize Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. Also, Kosovo needed to become a member of more international organizations and – in order to further its economic development – it was essential to attract Foreign Direct Investments. One way to achieve those objectives was to promote a more positive image of the country. Unfortunately however, Kosovo was still too often associated with insecurity, political instability, corruption and crime.
H.E. Ian Cliff, British Ambassador in
Kosovo, emphasized that, despite remaining challenges, Kosovo’s foreign policy had evolved a lot in the past. He stressed that the country had one major advantage – the Kosovo diaspora around the world. This disapora could be used to ‘sell’ Kosovo and to promote a more positive image. Further, Kosovo’s experience in handling post-conflict situations could be useful for other regions such as North Africa; in this case, Kosovo had the potential to bridge the gap to the Muslim world. All in all, he concluded that it was essential for the country to project a more confident image of itself.
Another issue which was raised during the conference by both the MPs but also by the foreign Ambassadors was the politicization of the civil service. It would be counterproductive if the functioning communication between civil servants was dependend on party membership. In the first place, it was important that differences were overcome and that civil servants remember their common vision to achieve their objectives.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Petrit Selimi complimented FES on their publication "Public Diplomacy in Kosovo - Status Quo, Challenges and Options" and said that it entailed many guidelines the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could integrate into their strategy.
Workshop: Finalizing the vision for Prishtina
20.04-21.04.2012
The weekend workshop “Finalizing the vision for Prishtina” which took place from 20.04.-21.04. was organized by the NGO Archis Interventions and UN Habitat and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. Also, representatives of the municipality took part.
Previously, the participants of the workshop had discussed how Prishtina could be transformed into a capital comparable to other 
world capitals and had come to the conclusion that it was the city’s youth that constituted its main potential. From a perspective of a foreigner, NGO Program Manager Kai Vöckler explained that the campus feeling people get when wandering through Prishtina, was absolutely fascinating and should be seen as a major asset. However, to successfully use this asset, certain problems had to be tackled. So far, the city was fragmented into different parts performing different functions. This could be solved through the extension of the pedestrian zone which would connect the historical part, the governmental zone, the university campus and the economic area.
Also, it was important to focus on education and knowledge as the capital’s main potential; therefore, public community centres, student housing and incubators were needed. All of the participants agreed that the investment by the nation and the city in developing knowledge would ultimately be returned to the nation by the establishment of a knowledge based economy. As a next step, the group’s ideas had to be actively provoked in the public.
Political Academy - First Module
13.04.-15.04.2012
“Political Culture and Democracy” was the topic of the first module of this year’s Political Academy - a program designed by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Prishtina to provide young progressive professionals with both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills they need, in order to actively engage in Kosovo politics and thus, to actively shape the country’s future. For an entire weekend, the selected participants who come from different ethnic backgrounds had the opportunity to not only listen to internationally renowned professors, but also to discuss various issues and exchange their views with both lecturers and the other participants.
Workshop on European Social Partnership and Social Dialogue, Perspective for workers and trade unions
26.03.2012
The workshop “European Social Partnership and Social Dialogue; Perspective for workers and trade unions” which enabled a lively exchange of views between trade unions, other civil society actors and Harald Wiedenhofer, Secretary-General of EFFAT, was organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and took place on 26th March, in Prishtina.
Mr. Wiedenhofer enumerated several problems Kosovo faces; the country not only suffered from an extremely high unemployment rate, but also had to cope with weak labor laws and was confronted with a huge illegal sector; additionally, trade unions were still very weak. According to Wiedenhofer, one of the main reasons was their fragmentation. This fragmentation and lack of solidarity had to be overcome before unions could hope to become a strong social force in and outside the country. He insisted that it was not sufficient to talk about solidarity but to actively live it. In the end, workers all had the same aims which should unite them; a secure job, a future for their children and money to satisfy the needs of their families.
In the end, the Secretary-General stressed the fact that there was no panacea for solving the trade unions’ problems in Kosovo, but that they had already started to move into the right direction. He explicitly encouraged them to organize similar workshops in the future and to discuss their problems with trade unions in different European countries to learn from their experiences. Also, EFFAT was willing to support the trade unions in the future.
Roundtable discussion: “Interpretative Authority in Post Conflict Societies”
14.03.2012
In cooperation with the Center for Conflict Studies of the Phillips University in Marburg and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung organized a Roundtable Discussion on “Interpretative Authority in Post Conflict Societies” which took place on 14.03.2012, in Prishtina.
First Prof. Thorsten Bonacker described the challenges new states face in the process of nation-building. Especially in the aftermath of international interventions, when the presence of international actors is strong, or after secession, the creation of a national identity is one of the most complex processes. Bonacker explained that in this process, authority matters a lot. Particularly those actors that exercise the interpretative authority – the authority to define the way in which symbolic sources are interpreted – have an immense power in "new" countries such as Kosovo. But which political actors compete over these sources of authority? How do political institutions try to maintain and preserve their authority in daily political processes and reforms? And which role do media and civil society play in the processes of authority generation? These and other questions were discussed during the event.
One representative of the media in Kosovo explained why, to his mind, Kosovo is still no full-fledged democracy. He criticized the fact that the media in Kosovo was still too often controlled, influenced or directed by power structures and concluded that therefore, a reform was urgently needed.
If you want to read more about the event, you can find a detailed report written by Laura Vollmann.
Local Governance Academy
06.03.2012
The third module of the Local Governance Academy with the topic “Relations between Kosovo police service and municipalities” took place on 06.03.2012, in Prishtina. It was organized by the Kosovo Local Government Institute in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Representatives of six municipalities participated.
After an introduction of how the approach to security studies has evolved over time - with new threats such as environmental degradation, pandemics and international terrorism emerging as challenges on policymakers’ agendas - the participants reflected on the issue of security on the municipal level in Kosovo. The speakers agreed that a lack of efficient cooperation and coordination between the police, the municipalities and the community constituted one of the major obstacles to public security. Fisnik Rexhepui, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs stressed the fact that this cooperation has not reached a satisfying level yet and that there is a need for the police to communicate directly with the citizens allowing them to collectively identify and address the community’s most pressing security threats.
Political Academy Alumni in conversation with Josip Juratovic
23.02.2012
The german MP 
Josip Juratovic (SPD) met during his two day visit in Kosovo with Alumni from the programmes IPS, Political Academy and Course for Promising Politicians.
Mr. Juratovic wanted to speak to the young people about the latest developments in the country. He was particularly interested to hear their opinions about the challenges and opportunities of politics and economy in Kosovo. Speaking to the alumni of the International Parliament Scholarship, to participants of the Political Academy and the Course for Promising Politicians, he emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and the overcoming of regional conflicts. It was in the hands of young people to shape the future of the region, Juratovic said.
Local Governance Academy – Decentralization and new concepts of service delivery
23.02.2012
The topic of the third module was "Relations between Parliament and Municipalities - Decentralization and new concepts of service delivery". The LGA is organized by the Kosovo Local Governance Institute and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
For better services and success in decentralization it was important to be serious in bringing together resources and to increase the capacity of municipalities, Besnik Tahiri from KLGI said. Without these actions the success would be incomplete. Moreover, decentralization should be understood as a process that ensures a better service for citizens. Therefore, it was essential to support the municipalities.
Josip Juratoviq, German MP, presented the German experiences in municipal organization. He stressed that it was essential that decisions, taken by higher institutions, should be applied in practice by local authorities.
Read more
Open Discussion about building legitimate outcomes in European Peace Operations
15.02.2012
On 15th of February, an open discussion about the study project “Existing Conflict: Building legitimate outcomes in European peace operations” took place in Hotel Prishtina, Kosovo. The study project was conducted by the Ownership Study Group organised by the FES and the Human Security Group at the London School of Economics (LSE) which was represented by Mrs. Martin. The discussion started with pointing out the main findings of the study and each participant was allowed to state his or her point of view. Participants were, for example, Mr. Oirezi ( MPAKT) or Mr. Sabovic (OSCE). Further, during the discussion various questions were raised; Mrs. Martin asked the participants how they define ownership in the context of peace operations. Several different answers were provided and participants evaluated the key concepts of the study.
Roundtable on Kosovo and Council of Europe relations
18.01.2012
On 18th of January, a Roundtable Discussion about Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe took place in Grand Hotel, Prishtina. It was an event organised by the Foreign Policy Club which has - already before - published a study on this topic in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. After Mr. Bokshi (Foreign Policy Club) had stressed the most important issues related to the topic, the Deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, evaluated Kosovo’s possible future membership in the Council of Europe and discussed the benefits of it. Further, he pointed to the remaining challenges for the country and explained the different procedures for joining the Council of Europe.
Debate on strengthening the role of youth in politics
27.01.2012
On Friday 27th of January, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in cooperation with the Center for Qualitative Research (CQR) and the Youth Center of Prizren organised a debate with youngsters from this city on “How to strengthen the role of youth in politics”. Last year CQR on behalf of FES conducted a study on the role of youth in the political landscape in Kosovo. The researchers of CQR presented the main findings of their study and afterwards, there was a debate with youngsters from Prizren. The Prizren youth finds themselves represented in the study and discussed ways of strengthening their role in the political landscape of Kosovo.