8/13/2019 Introducion-10 Things FINAL ENG

1/2

Introduction

 As Kosovo comes close to its third independence anniversary, the citizens of the newest countryin the world remain isolated and unrecognized from the majority of countries, which deniesKosovars the same commodities that their neighbors in the Balkans and Europe enjoy. till, two!thirds of the countries in the world, including five E" member states, refuse to recognize Kosovo.

#he $oreign %olicy &lub has identified '( issues that complicate our lives. )t has e*amined thebarriers and conse+uences behind '( issues that prevent Kosovos -.- million citizens to have anormal life as the citizens of Europe and beyond. hile for the countries not recognizing Kosovo,it is a mere political stance and decisions, the conse+uences of all this are felt by the citizens ofKosovo, the majority of whom are under the age of /0. And although the youth is constantlyreferred to as the countrys greatest asset, their future prospects, be it in Kosovo or abroad,remain very limited. o while for the non!recognizing

#he rest of the region has taken huge steps in reforms, bringing them closer to the Europeanfamily day by day. Kosovars, though, remain handicapped, often facing unfair standards andbarriers whether in joining international structures, benefiting from e*isting ones, to traveling,doing business and trade, communications, education and more.

'. As of 1ecember of this year, when the E" lifts the visa regime for Albania and Bosnia and2erzegovina, 3which erbia, 4acedonia and 4ontenegro got in -((56, Kosovo will become themost isolated place on earth. )ts citizens can travel only to five countries without a visa ! Albania,4acedonia, 4ontenegro, #urkey and 2aiti. Even citizens of Afghanistan can travel to -- countriesvisa free, while those of #aiwan, a country not recognized by all E" member states, can travel toEurope visa free.

#he European &ommission, in charge of carrying through the visa liberalization process for thosewho want to travel within the chengen 7one, keeps putting off the process for Kosovo ! keepingonly the -.- million citizens of Kosovo subject to long, e*pensive and often humiliating applicationprocesses, with an appro*imate /(8 visa refusal rate, the highest in the region.

-. 9n top of the list is that Kosovars face the highest interest rates in the region with particularly

lengthy application and approval rates. $oreign investors ask the return investment be up to '08:banks hold that there is high risk due to lack of economic and political stability. 4eanwhile, thebusiness and agricultural sector are at the greatest disadvantage in developing and e*panding,while they are key to Kosovos overall economic development.

/. orrisome and damaging is the fact that Kosovo is almost entirely absent from the virtualworld. hile Kosovo is the leader in the Balkans in terms of internet usage, as it has over half amillion )nternet subscribers, their web benefits and advantages are limited. Kosovars are trappedin the )nternet ; they cannot purchase a book at Amazon.com since Kosovo has not beengranted )% addresses and . %otentially, Kosovars can register and use online websites by registering through anothercountry. But immediately it appears as an unsustainable solution since data on telephone andpostal codes need to be provided. And Kosovo also hasnt been licensed a country phone codeby the )nternational #elecommunications "nion, which operates as part of the "=. Kosovo hasaround '.' million mobile and ?(,((( landline phone customers, but for landline it has to uses thecode of erbia, and the two mobile operators use 4onaco and lovenia. 9n top of it, with illegalerbian mobile operators in the north of Kosovo, it looses around -((,((( potential consumers.

 All these facts bear great repercussions for Kosovos budget.

8/13/2019 Introducion-10 Things FINAL ENG

2/2

0. #ravel wise, Kosovars pay double or triple airlines prices than any other country in Europe asflights from &entral and =orth Europe to Kosovo must travel and an additional -(( nautical milesand /( minutes in order to land in %rishtina Airport, as Kosovo is not a member of the)nternational 9rganization for &ivil Aviation, which makes it difficult for Kosovo to have aninfluence on having its airspace open. #his means additional e*penses for airline companies forgas and higher tickets for those traveling to and from Kosovo 3Kosovos air space has beenclosed down since '555 and only low corridor flights through 4acedonia can be used6.

@. )f traveling by car, Kosovars have to pay insurance for each country individually since Kosovois not a member of #he &ouncil of Bureau* 3&9B6, which would allow it to benefit on vehicleinsurances. $or e*ample, upon entering reece, an individual pays '?( Euros for insurance foronly '0 days, while other countries use a green card insurance for any country they enter. C. 9ne of the most damaging issues in the past two years has been the fact that Kosovo hasbeen denied to e*port in two countries in the region, erbia and Bosnia and 2erzegovina, as wellas transit of its good through them ; while they are all members of &E$#A, the &entral European$ree #rade Agreement, which guarantees open, free trade without custom barriers whenimporting or e*porting raw materials and finished products. #his came about when afterindependence: Kosovo authorities introduced its own customs stamps, which were refused by theerbian customs and ta* administration, as well as from Bosnia and 2erzegovina. Bosnia began

charging Kosovo businesses a full customs tariff, which places them in an unfavorable positionthat often discourages many Kosovo companies from e*porting to Bosnia altogether. 9n top of it,Kosovos economy suffers since it losses potential to attract foreign investors, who getdiscouraged to invest in Kosovo as it cannot offer access to the entire regional market free oftariffs.

?. Kosovars opportunities for studying abroad are just as limited ; even though Kosovo hasbegun implementing the Bologna process, it is still far from becoming am e+ual, full partner in theprocess 3mainly due to the fact that Kosovo is not a member of the &ouncil of Europe6. #hisdiminished Kosovars opportunities to apply and study at various European educationalprograms, benefit from scholarship, fellowship and e*change programs and opportunities, andKosovar educational diplomas are not recognized at many worldwide institutions. 9nly a fewmanage to attend international programs, which are generally mainly aimed at youth from the

region, and as such, more scarce in terms of variety and number of programs.

5. 9n a different note, Kosovos sports teams and individuals are denied competition atinternational levels as Kosovo is being rejected from the )nternational 9lympic &ommittee. A fewdetermined individuals have made it, but only by representing leagues of other countries.

'(. #he last issue on the $%&s list of D'( things that complicate our lives lists the fact thatKosovo citizens do not have access in the European &ourt of 2uman