During the recent years, in a post-war Kosovo, there have been many organizations established that usually aim towards landing projects that are concerned with reconciliation, regional cooperation and European Integration. However, not all of them have the potential to be executed properly and provide relevant productive results.

Luckily for us, we happened to get involved in a project that was clearly not suffering from that syndrome. Six Kosovars aged from 18-24 were selected to participate in a year lengthy program called “Our Future, European Integration”. Yeah, we acknowledge that the title sounds a little too generic but the concept was far from that. The core idea was that 6 students from Kosovo, Serbia and the Netherlands each, would gather in three study visits during the year to discuss about national identity, European Integration and how to deal with the past. The project was carried by three organizations, NGO Integra from Kosovo, NGO Fractal from Serbia and IKV Pax Christi from the Netherlands. What we were anticipating before getting enrolled in the program, was the possible scenarios that would take place when three groups with totally different points of view meet and clash. You had us, the Kosovars, the independence knights and wannabe lobbyists on one side, then you had the Serbs, our “arch rivals”, standing up for everything we don’t on the other side and last but not least, the Dutch, in Purgatory. The latter ones resembled a bunch of psychologists analyzing how individuals with opposite mentalities will react on so-called ‘modern battlegrounds’ of debates and discussions.

The first study visit took place in Kosovo. Part of the official schedule, were meetings with numerous institutions, including one with the vice-prime minister Mr. Hajredin Kuqi. To many of the people who were present, he came off as someone who tries too hard. In being diplomatic. Yes, he was welcoming and prepared but his answers lacked substance. We had already heard him say the same things over and over on TV, so somehow we were used to getting that kind of feedback, but our guests, left with mixed impressions. However, that was only one of the many meetings we attended while here. Meetings with the Vetevendosja Movement, the Ombudsperson, the ICO, in a way or another, all gave the same message that ‘Kosovo is far from being in an ideal state and there’s a lot to be worked on’.

One month later, we had the opportunity to address our questions in Belgrade. There, we encountered quite diverse approaches towards certain issues, the most obvious one, being of course, Kosovo. The Liberal Party for instance, acknowledged the crimes that were committed by the previous regime and stated that an apology from the Serbian government to ethnic Albanians would be reasonable. Completely opposite declarations came from the radicals. They kept over-repeating the now oh-so-famous phrase “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” and made sure to let us know that if they come to governance any day soon, there is no hope for progress in this issue.

Lastly, in October, the Kosovar and Serbian delegations traveled to what went on to be the most informative and rewarding study visit, in terms of acquiring general knowledge about democracy, governance and the European Union. The study visit in the Netherlands. High profile meetings provided a lot of insight on the steps we have to take in order to achieve our goal of integrating in the EU. This was a much needed wake-up call for us who previously had been fed with reports from our government that the integration process is going smoothly. What got to our ears there though was completely different stuff. Members of the European Parliament and European Commission gave us very thorough signs that we had great loads of work to do.

What we found particularly interesting was the fact that most of the politicians we met with, noted that after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria the bar has been raised very high for other aspiring countries and we have to suffer the consequences of a carelessly, politically motivated decision undertaken by the EU.

Nevertheless, on top of all meetings, what grabbed our attention the most was the meeting with the Dutch Socialist Party, the biggest one in the opposition and the third biggest in the country. Harry Von Bommel, a Dutch MP and high representative for the Socialists had to say some things that certainly did not fare well with us. Among noting that they oppose the expansion of the EU and Netherlands’ membership in NATO, he also said that Kosovo’s independence should have not been recognized. To him, it was a flagrant breach of international law. But, when someone asked him whether Serbia’s actions in 1999 were in compliance the international law, he was quick in twirling the answer and noting that a better solution for Kosovo would have been what we called ‘the twin sister of the status-quo’. He said that “a Kosovo under Serbia would take some time  to adjust but it would’ve certainly been a more stable solution than independence’. Even though, we tried to explain that such move would be equivalent to a one-way ticket to another conflict, he stood strongly by his initial opinion.

All in all, this project was an eye-opener. We came to understand that there is a huge amount of work needed to be done in all kinds of fields, before we can even aim for a candidate status, let alone membership. What’s most important is that the message of an uncorrupted, economically stable and democratic Kosovo must be carried to our leaders and our people, if we don’t want to get stuck in crawling for help from the ‘big guys’ for the rest of our days.

“Our Future European Integration” Project - Kosovo Group Action