Prishtina, 6 September 2018 – The Minister of European Integration, Dhurata Hoxha, at the Conference of Ambassadors, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), discussed regarding Kosovo’s on next steps in the process of European integration.
Minister Hoxha congratulated the MFA for organizing this conference, considering it very important, so that responsible institutional authorities speak with the same language with regards to the European Integration process.
“The European Integration process in recent years has been characterized by a progressive dynamics, but there is still much to be done. The implementation of the SAA is our most important priority. Implementation of the SAA now requires alignment of national legislation with EU standards and full implementation of legislation in practice. This will require political will, bureaucratic capacities and sustainable funding”, stated Minister Hoxha.
Minister Hoxha emphasized that, “all SAA chapters can be implemented by undertaking deep reforms in the respective sectors”.
The Minister stated that, “our priorities are good governance, strengthening of the rule of law, protecting competitiveness, improving the investment climate, and advancing employment and higher education policies. The Minister offered close cooperation with all institutions to implement these priorities.
“The visa liberalization process is a necessity for our citizens. After receiving a positive recommendation from the European Commission, voting at the LIBE Commission is already clear and there should be no dilemma. Kosovo has met all the conditions, and now it is up to the EU institutions and member states to do their part. The sooner they make a decision on visa liberalization, for our citizens it would be a good signal the EU and member states are a reliable partner, and when the states show good results, the other part should also keep the word”, said Minister Hoxha.
Minister Hoxha pointed out the strategic goal of the Government to meet the criteria for obtaining candidate status for EU membership by 2020.
“The government is aware of the works that are ahead in this regard, because the positive opinion on the application for candidate status will depend on the level of responsibility of our institutions in fulfilling their obligations”, said Minister Hoxha, and invited the institutions, citizens, the political spectrum and civil society to work together in fulfilling the obligations arising from the integration process.
Last modified: August 8, 2022
