Country Reports

The citizens of Kosovo now also have the freedom to travel to the European Union

Kosovo is the last country in the Western Balkans to receive visa liberalization with the EU

At the beginning of the year, visa liberalization with the European Union came into force in Kosovo, the last country in the Western Balkans to do so. The freedom to travel, which was achieved after a long wait compared to neighboring countries, is causing much euphoria, especially among the younger generation. However, there is also concern that the freedom to travel could trigger a large wave of emigration of workers and an additional brain drain to the EU states, which would exacerbate the already existing labor shortage in certain economic sectors.

Kosovo: Political and Social Impact One Year After the Start of Russia's War of Aggression against Ukraine

Kosovar Government is using the Geopolitical Antagonism in the Interest to Move Forward in the Conflict with Serbia

Russia's war against Ukraine has a direct economic impact on the country, while developments in Kosovar-Serbian relations are seen in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Der Russische Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine – Reaktionen auf dem Westbalkan

Der russische Angriff auf die Ukraine am 24. Februar 2022 hat in Europa, dem breiteren Westen aber auch weltweit für starke Reaktionen gesorgt – gerade letzteres zeigte sich in einer Resolution der Vollversammlung der Vereinten Nationen vom 2. März, als diese das russische Vorgehen mit einer überwältigenden Mehrheit von 141 gegen 5 bei 35 Enthaltungen verurteilte. Alle Länder des Westbalkan stimmten in New York für die Resolution – jedoch unterhält die Region komplizierte historische, politische, wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Beziehun-gen zu Russland, aber auch zur Ukraine. Wie also haben die Menschen und politischen Institutionen der Region das Handeln Russlands aufgefasst? Welche Narrative herrschen vor? Und was ist für die Zukunft zu erwarten? Die Auslandsmitarbeiter der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Belgrad, Sarajevo, Tirana, Skopje und Zagreb berichten.

Die Kommunalwahlen im Kosovo

Comeback der Opposition – Herber Dämpfer für Regierungschef Albin Kurti

Nach Parlaments- und Präsidentschaftswahlen fanden auch Kommunalwahlen in der Republik Kosovo statt. Dabei wurde der Siegeszug der Bewegung Vetëvendosje von Premierminister Albin Kurti und der mit ihm in Partnerschaft stehenden Präsidentin Vjosa Osmani gestoppt. Die meisten Gemeinden gewannen die oppositionellen PDK und LDK. Der LDK gelang es mit Përparim Rama das wichtige und prestigeträchtige Bürgermeisteramt der Hauptstadt Prishtina zu gewinnen

Das Kosovo hat eine Präsidentin: Eine Chance für politische Stabilität

Die ehemalige KAS-Stipendiatin Vjosa Osmani wurde zur neuen Präsidentin des Kosovos gewählt. Nach dem Rücktritt Präsident Hashim Thaçis im vergangenem Jahr aufgrund einer Anklage in Den Haag, war sie bereits als Parlamentspräsidentin geschäftsführend im Amt.

Parliamentary Election in Kosovo: Will the Victor also Become Prime Minister?

Clear Election Victory for Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje Movement

According to the latest figures, Albin Kurti's Vetëvendosje almost secured an absolute majority with 48.95 per cent of the vote. Less than two years after the last general election in 2019, Kosovans were called to the ballot box once again on 14 February 2021. A decision by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo on 21 December 2020 set the scene for this early vote. It declared the parliament’s election of the incumbent Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, on 3 June 2020, to be unlawful, since a parliamentarian whose previous conviction should have barred him from entering parliament cast the decisive vote for an absolute majority (61 out of 120). This election is also particularly important because the resignation of President Hashim Thaçi on 5 November 2020, due to an indictment before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers for War Crimes in the Hague, warrants the election of a new president within a period of six months for which a two-thirds majority is needed. Whether a potential one-party government under Vetëvendosje can also elect a president remains to be seen.

Unstable Political Situation in Kosovo

The Kosovo Special Tribunal Confirms the Most Important Charges

On 5 November, Hashim Thaçi, President of the Republic of Kosovo and former political leader of the UÇK (Kosovo Liberation Army), resigned from office as State President following confirmation of his indictment by the Kosovo Special Tribunal in the Hague. During a press conference, Thaçi explained that he would step down as President to safeguard the integrity of Kosovo and would present himself to the Hague. A few hours earlier, Kadri Veseli, Leader of the PDK (Democratic Party of Kosovo, third strongest party in the 2019 elections), former President of the Parliament and Chief of the Kosovo Secret Service during the war, declared that the indictment against him had also been confirmed in the Hague, and that he would voluntarily present himself to the Special Tribunal.

Change of Government in Kosovo: Constitutional Court Paves the Way

According to the Constitutional Court ruling, a new government led by Avdullah Hoti of the LDK is expected to be formed swiftly

Following the overthrow of the previous government by a vote of no confidence on 25 March 2020 initiated by the coalition partner Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), there has long been uncertainly about further political developments on the Kosovo field. Although on 30 April President Hashim Thaçi had mandated Avdullah Hoti of the LDK to form a government, the legitimacy of the mandate was however called into question and brought before the Constitutional Court by members of the Vetëvendosje (VV), the party belonging to the toppled Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The legal blockade for the formation of a new government has now been eliminated with the final decision taken by the Constitutional Court: late in the evening on 28 May, the Constitutional Court ruled that President Thaçi acted lawfully when he gave Hoti the task of forming the government.

Balkans: Geopolitics in Times of Corona

Foreign Aid and Public Relations Work and Their Perception in South East Europe

The coronavirus pandemic is a stress test for global value chains, national health systems and the resilience of societies – with no clear outcome. Against the backdrop of the crisis, we are also witnessing a geopolitical, systemic competition to win the hearts and minds of states and societies and to dominate global narratives. True to the motto that every crisis harbours an opportunity, the People´s Republic of China and the Russian Federation in particular are striving to gain sympathies in selected countries through rapid aid and its propagandistic staging, so as to highlight the superiority of their own systems and thus to expand their soft power. It would be naive to assume that their actions are guided solely by humanitarian considerations and international solidarity. What´s more, they are applying illegitimate methods such as fake news and disinformation campaigns as well.

Regierung im Kosovo zerbrochen: Misstrauensvotum in Zeiten von Corona

Regierungskoalition der ungleichen Partner Vetëvendosje und Demokratische Liga des Kosovo durch Misstrauensvotum zu Fall gebracht – Handlungsfähigkeit der Exekutive in Gefahr

Über den von der konservativen LDK initiierten und von 42 Abgeordneten unterzeichneten Misstrauensantrag gegen die eigene Regierung wurde am Abend des 25. März 2020 nach einer 12-stündigen Marathonsitzung abgestimmt. 82 Abgeordnete stimmten gegen die von Ministerpräsident Albin Kurti (VV) angeführte Regierung, 32 Parlamentarier sprachen ihm das Vertrauen aus, einer enthielt sich. Die Koalition der ungleichen Partner, der linksnationalistischen VV und der Mitte-Rechts-Partei LDK, ist damit nach nur 52 Tagen zerbrochen. Inmitten der Corona-Krise steht im Kosovo die Handlungsfähigkeit der Exekutive zur Disposition. Nur wenige Stunden nach der Abstimmung wurde Kurtis Gegenspieler Avdullah Hoti (LDK) von der Position des ersten stellvertretenden Premierministers enthoben.