Launch of the Sweden 2014-2020 assistance to Kosovo

In her remarks, Minister Çitaku said: “Sweden remains one of our key partners in the world. Since the recognition of the independence, Sweden has been an important supporter of Kosovo EU integration path.

Beyond our political dialogue, newly adopted Development Strategy has identified 3 key priorities for the 2014-2020 and has earmarked approximately 70 million EURO to the implementation of the Strategy. These priorities are fully in line with Kosovo development agenda and reflect Sweden natural comparative advantage and know how in respective sectors.”

During the conference, Director-General Nilsson said: “Sweden is a key partner to Kosovo’s EU integration and attaches strategic importance to the enlargement process as the key instrument for creating security, democracy and prosperity for a Europe .

Sweden has been a long term provider of significant support for the countries in the Western Balkans, in some cases for more than 10 years. With the new strategy, another step has been taken in developing the support to the countries of Western Balkans and to Kosovo. The new strategy constitutes a long-term commitment and has an even stronger focus on supporting Kosovo’s EU-integration process.”

In the annex of this press release you can find a fact sheet on Swedish development cooperation assistance to Kosovo.
Annex: A fact sheet on Swedish development cooperation assistance to Kosovo

The overall objective of Swedish development cooperation with Kosovo has been, and remains, to facilitate EU integration and to contribute to the country’s stability and economic growth. It began as a mainly humanitarian and rebuilding effort but has since developed into capacity building efforts aimed at strengthening Kosovo’s capacity to deal with the European integration process.

Swedish assistance to Kosovo is mainly carried out through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The assistance has since 2009 been concentrated in three sectors – environment and climate, education and democratic governance and human rights. The choice of sectors was based on Kosovo’s own priority objectives and needs. In volume terms, Swedish development cooperation with Kosovo for the period 2009–2012 averaged 9 million EURO per year. In addition, Sweden’s contribution with secondments of staff to EULEX for the same time period averaged 10 million EURO per year. A new strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Turkey for the period 2014-2020 was adopted by the Swedish government in March 2014. Through the strategy Sweden makes a long-term commitment to assisting these countries in their efforts to integrate closer with the EU.

Examples of achieved results from Swedish development assistance to Kosovo:

• Swedish support has contributed significantly to strengthening Kosovo’s civil services. Swedish contributions assisted the development of a property tax system for buildings that has been implemented across Kosovo. The system is more efficient, more just and more transparent, and is delivering greater income to municipalities. Citizens access to the property tax system has been improved, and there has been a 50% increase in property tax income since 2009.

• Sweden contributed to the establishment of the Kosovo Environmental Strategy and the National Environmental Action Plan created a structural framework for environmental management, nationally and locally, and are directly in line with Kosovo’s approximation strategy and with EU accession. Considerable improvement has been made in regards to the capacity to implement environmental action plans, notably at the local level.

• Swedish support has contributed to higher productivity in the forestry sector and improved capacity to ensure the sustainable use of forest resources through improvements in municipal capacity in planning processes and contributes to private sector development within sustainable systems. This has particularly benefitted small private forestry operators, of which many are women, who have been able to become better organized and better represent the needs of private forest owners.

• Sweden has been one of the strongest supporters of increased donor coordination in Kosovo, within the priority framework of the host country, and with a focus on national ownership and national/donor coordination. The creation of concrete and agreed strategic plans for the education and forestry sectors is a good example of this. These plans will function as a necessary basis for the implementation of sector based programs in EU future assistance through IPA II.

• Swedish support through Kvinna till Kvinna has been successful in bringing up the controversial issue of conflict related sexual violence against women on the political agenda. The work has been conducted in close cooperation with local women organisations. Despite the opposition – and against Kosovar activist seven threats and violence – the organizations have succeeded in ensuring that Kosovo’s newly adopted National Action Plan for 1325 notes the importance of access to protection, justice, rehabilitation and measures of social reintegration for survivors of sexual violence, torture and other forms of violence in the context of war and conflict. It is a first step towards the effective recognition of and support for a hitherto neglected and very vulnerable group.