EU-Kosovo Relations

EU-Kosovo Relations

The EESC recommends the following set of actions to support Kosovan civil society organisations:

• Social partners must be included in the National Council for European Integration being set-up.
• The government of Kosovo should secure a specific budget line for the functioning of the Social Economic Council (SEC) of Kosovo and the EESC should help strengthen the SEC by engaging with the main social actors and by sharing its know-how and expertise.
• The Kosovan government should create transparent public funding mechanisms for civil society organizations and establish a State Fund for Civil Society.
• The Kosovan government should take into consideration the Strategic Framework prepared by Kosovan civil society and create the legal and institutional framework for a structured dialogue. The Kosovan Assembly should develop an institutional platform that would allow for a regular dialogue with civil society organisations.
• The European Commission (EC) funding available for civil society under IPA – Instrument for Pre-Accession - must be balanced between the promotion of democracy and rule of law, and some socio-economic development projects.
• The EC should ease the access of smaller civil society organizations to its programs.
• Specific programmes for the social partners under the Civil Society Facility (CSF) could be created.
• Civil society organisations must be involved in defining the national priorities for IPA assistance.
• The EC should further support the creation of civil society networks in Kosovo in view of easing the dialogue with the authorities and connecting to the existing European civil society platforms.

The EESC reaffirms its willingness to co-chair with the EC the civil society plenary meetings which take place on a yearly basis within the Stabilisation and Association Process Dialogue (SAPD).