25/02/2010 Political Affairs and Democracy
Strasbourg, 25.02.2010 – “In Kosovo, there are more than 2 million Europeans who need the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights, regardless of the community they belong to,” said Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), speaking today at the end of a five- day visit to Kosovo.
“During my visit, I travelled extensively in Kosovo, meeting ordinary people from all communities. All of them highlighted widespread corruption, lack of a trustworthy judiciary and poor implementation of the law. This state of affairs undermines governance, affects the trust of people in the authorities, and jeopardises the prospect of Kosovo’s economic development, as international investors are reluctant to commit resources here,“ he pointed out.
“A truly European Kosovo requires the full involvement of all its communities. Politically, the increased participation of Kosovo Serbs in the South in the November local elections is an important step forward”, the rapporteur noted.
“At the moment, 33 out of 47 Council of Europe member states have recognised Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. This divide should not prevent the Organisation from deploying a broad range of instruments in Kosovo, for the benefit of all communities, and expanding its activities in the field of human rights and the rule of law,” he added.
“In my report, I will explore ways to establish a dialogue between PACE and the political forces represented in the Kosovo Assembly, in order to help improve the functioning of democratic institutions in Kosovo. I hope that his report will be debated in June during the PACE plenary session (21-25 June 2010),” Mr von Sydow concluded.
Contact: Nathalie Bargellini, PACE Communication Division
mobile: +33 (0)6 65 40 32 82
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* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.