Yesterday in Prishtina a closing event was held to officially mark the end of the EU-funded Further Support to the Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) project, aimed at increasing the institutional capacity of the Ministry and the Kosovo Police.
 
The €1 million project, which started in May 2008, supported the strengthening of internal security and public order, furthermore guaranteeing space for freedom, security and justice for all citizens of Kosovo, in accordance with EU standards and best practices.

 

With the support received through the project, the MIA has improved administrative routines and its managerial system. The legal department has been strengthened, with improved knowledge of public international law, as well as better legal drafting skills. Its new organizational structure is in accordance with the EU standards.

As part of this project, nearly 200 Kosovo police staff received training in law drafting and organised crime, financial crime investigation, forensics and securing of evidence, operational matters and English language.

The Ministry directors are now better equipped to monitor the performance of the Ministry staff. In addition, one of the major deliverables is that the Ministry is prepared to adopt the Standard System for correlating issues strictly related to human rights, community and minority involvement.

The EC Liaison Office continues supporting the Ministry of Internal Affairs in its efforts to ensure security and order with projects supporting effective border management through the implementation of the Integrated Border Management (IBM) policies, the handling of migration, asylum and reintegration issues, the improvement of education in the public safety and security sectors and the improvement of the functionality of the civil registry.

The "Further Support to Ministry of Internal Affairs" project was comprised of four components, 27 areas and 90 distinct activities.

As part of the project, 695 participants were sent in 48 training events, with 119 days of training in Kosovo, FYR of Macedonia, Albania, the UK and Austria.
 
Two large visible events were organised as part of the project, a Law Conference and a Security Policy Round Table.

Besides expert mission comprehensive reports, several policy papers were developed such as:

• Budget Management, Fundraising and Investment Strategy for MIA
• Financial Planning Guide for MIA
• Personnel Management Manual for MIA
• Performance Management System for MIA
• Report on Mission Statement
• Report of Standard Operating Procedures
• Creation of newly Office for Coordination and European Integration
• Fire- fighting and Rescue System in Kosovo
• Matrix of Standards for MIA
• Draft Strategy on Organised Crime
• Security Policy Development Guide

The Republic of Kosovo Prime Minister Thaçi held a meeting with representatives of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), led by Mr. Darko Aleksov.

The successful progress of the election process was discussed, with a special emphasis on the great importance the November 15th elections have for Kosovo’s democratic future.

The Prime Minister re-emphasized the Government’s commitment for holding free, fair and democratic elections, with all communities participating.

The Prime Minister also thanked the representatives of ENEMO for their willingness and their engagement in monitoring the electoral process, and he expressed his trust in the monitoring mission’s accurate and professional elections reporting.

“Following Kosovo’s declaration of independence, the November 15th local elections are the most important historic moment for Kosovo. Their full success will reflect well on the country in the continuing process of Kosovo’s international recognition, and in the integration process into the Euro-Atlantic structures,” added Prime Minister Thaçi.

Security Council of the Republic of Kosovo assessed the security situation in the country as sustainable and stable and gave the green light for the establishment of the Intelligence Committee, the institution that will ensure implementation of policies for governing security.

The fourth meeting of the Security Council of Kosovo was held under the auspices of Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, who thanked all the security mechanisms for the excellent work during the week.

According to news agency Kosovalive, PM Thaçi has indicated that the "general security situation is calm and very stable".Prime Minister of the Republic on this occasion applauded the cooperation between KFOR, Kosovo Police, Kosovo Security Forces, EULEX and Kosovo Intelligence Agency, and encouraged to continue this cooperation in the future.
 
He also praised the work on border demarcation with Macedonia and Kosovo’s good cooperation with its neighbors regarding the fight against criminal activities.

 

“Kosovo is undertaking an historic and very important process,” said the Prime Minister, in referring to the upcoming elections. He added, “These elections will be a model for the region.” The Prime Minister welcomed the calm and democratic election campaign occurring throughout Kosovo.
 
The Draft Security Strategy for Kosovo was presented and the working group, consisting of domestic and international experts, was praised for drafting a good document, which is nearly complete. The document is to be amended and updated with comments from Security Council members; after which, it is expected to be approved by the Kosovo Government.

The Security Council supported the establishment of an Intelligence Committee. According to the law, the Intelligence Committee must be established alongside the Secretariat and the Situation Center, which are supportive bodies of the Security Council. The Committee will consist of high representatives of the Kosovo institutions and it will ensure the coordination and implementation of government policies

During the the 92nd meeting of the Kosovo Government,  chaired by the Republic of Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, emphasized particularly  the commitment to European integration and the full assessment of the EC Progress Report.

The Prime Minister considered the Progress Report a realistic assessment, presenting Kosovo’s achievements, Kosovo’s challenges, as well as Kosovo’s secure European future, particularly in the liberalization of visas, in trade relations and also in the dialogue on Stabilization and Association.

“Comprehensive public administration reform; deepened political, economic and legislative reform; judicial reform; and the uncompromising fight against corruption and organized crime continue to be top priorities of the Government and of Kosovo's institutions, including those at local level,” said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister, in referring to the local elections, congratulated all political parties on their peaceful and democratic campaigns, their value-based competition, which he considered the best message for the people of Kosovo and for the democratic world. “It is a model campaign for the region. The Government will continue to give our full and comprehensive support to the Central Election Commission.”  The Cabinet approved the 2009 nine-month Report on Treasury Expenditures.

The report was drafted by the Treasury Department within the Ministry of Economy, in accordance with the Law on the Management of Public Finances and Responsibilities.

Minister Shala said that despite the economic crisis, the Kosovo Government achieved its objectives for this nine month period. The performance of the two collecting institutions exceeded their planned collection totals; Customs by 6 percent and the Tax Administration by 5.2 percent.

A Government decision was taken in which the Strategic Planning Unit, established with decision No. 06/77 dated 10.08.2009, becomes the Strategic Planning Office which will work within the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Office advises the Prime Minister and the Government in identifying priorities; it offers advice on strategic policy issues, ensures that strategic and planning documents are in line with the Government's priorities and that they are harmonized with one another.

The Office works on the obligations arising from the European integration process and other international obligations, as well as helping to create mechanisms for coordinating policies within the ministries.  Based on an interview panel’s recommendations, the Cabinet proposed Mr. Avdi Shala as a member of the Committee for Investigating Aeronautical Accidents and Incidents.

The addition of another member compensates for the resignation of the head of the Committee.  In response to Ministry of the Environment’s request, which was made to the Ministry of Economy, the Cabinet decided to transfer resources, in the amount of 695,000 euros, from the Hade Village Project to other capital projects.

Minister Zenun Pajaziti informed the Cabinet on the Strategy and Action Plan for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control and Collection, drafted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Kosovo's Strategy for Small Arms Control was approved by the Cabinet on April 24th, 2008. The Strategy is based on regional standards of micro-disarmament and was developed by the centers for controlling small arms and light weapons for Eastern and South Eastern Europe.  In accordance with the recommendations of the National Quality Council and the Kosovo
Accreditation Agency, and based on the proposal of Education Minister Hoxhaj, the Cabinet decided to accredit and license the Masters Program for a number of colleges. The accreditation and licenses are legally in force only for the 2009/2010 academic year.