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Document 52013JC0008
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Kosovo's( progress in addressing issues set out in the Council Conclusions of December 2012 in view of a possible decision on the opening of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Kosovo's( progress in addressing issues set out in the Council Conclusions of December 2012 in view of a possible decision on the opening of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Kosovo's( progress in addressing issues set out in the Council Conclusions of December 2012 in view of a possible decision on the opening of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
/* JOIN/2013/08 final */
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Kosovo's( progress in addressing issues set out in the Council Conclusions of December 2012 in view of a possible decision on the opening of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement /* JOIN/2013/08 final */
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Kosovo's* progress in
addressing issues set out in the Council Conclusions of December 2012 in view
of a possible decision on the opening of negotiations on the Stabilisation and
Association Agreement 1. Introduction In October 2012, the Commission issued a
Feasibility Study for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the
European Union and Kosovo.[1]
The study concluded that Kosovo is largely ready to open negotiations for
a Stabilisation and Association Agreement. It also suggested that the
Commission would propose negotiating directives for such an agreement, once
Kosovo takes a number of specific steps on the rule of law, public
administration, protection of minorities and trade. The Council Conclusions of December 2012 took
note of the feasibility study and of the Commission's intention to propose
negotiating directives for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement once
Kosovo meets these short-term priorities. The Council also called on Kosovo to continue
implementing in good faith all agreements reached in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to date and to engage constructively on the full range of issues. In addition to the
dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the short-term priorities of the
feasibility study, the Council Conclusions put emphasis on efforts to strengthen
public administration reform and consolidate the rule of law, in particular by
providing evidence of the fight against organised crime and corruption,
judicial reform and freedom of expression. The Conclusions confirmed that the
initiatives launched by the Commission, including the Structured Dialogue on
the Rule of Law, the visa liberalisation dialogue and the Stabilisation and
Association Process Dialogue play an important role in guiding Kosovo's reform
efforts on these priority areas. The Council underlined
the importance for Kosovo to strengthen its close cooperation with EULEX and
respect the renewed mandate of the mission. The Conclusions welcomed the
Commission's on-going efforts to negotiate a framework agreement with Kosovo
concerning its participation in Union programmes. The Council also noted
Kosovo's membership of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and
the possibility for the European Investment Bank to enhance its role in Kosovo. With a view to a
possible decision to open negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association
Agreement with Kosovo, the Council made a commitment to examine progress on all
the above issues. The Council also committed itself to examine the report
during this Presidency and – provided the assessment is positive – to adopt the
negotiating directives. Taking these elements
into consideration, this report is divided into three parts. The first part analyses
Kosovo's progress in addressing the short-term priorities identified in the
feasibility study. The second part looks at all the other issues identified in
the December Council Conclusions, including the political dialogue between the
Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia facilitated by the High Representative of
the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and implementation of the
agreements reached to date. The final part of the report draws conclusions. 2. Kosovo addressing short-term priorities of
the feasibility study According to the feasibility study, Kosovo
needed to take further steps on rule of law, public administration, protection
of minorities and trade before the Commission would propose negotiating
directives for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement. ·
Rule
of law: demonstrate a clear commitment to deliver results in the
fight against organised crime and corruption, including launching
investigations and ensuring continuous good cooperation with EULEX. Support the
work of the Special Investigative Task Force. While implementing the new
structure of courts, ensure that the Special Prosecution responsible for cases
of organised crime, war crimes and corruption maintains its competencies. Adopt
the legislation on confiscation of assets and revise the law on prevention of
money laundering and financing of terrorism. Adopt a new anti-corruption
strategy. Kosovo's political leaders and law enforcement
and judicial authorities have maintained their commitment to the fight against
organised crime and corruption. Kosovo authorities and EULEX work in
partnership on practical operational matters on a daily basis, either through
mentoring and advising activities or 'peer-to-peer cooperation' in joint
investigations. Cooperation between Kosovo and EULEX is good. The results of
the partnership are becoming more evident. An important recent example is the
dismantling of a human smuggling criminal network across Europe at the end of
January. Joint EULEX-Kosovo police efforts contributed to the arrest of 103
persons in ten different countries across Europe, including Kosovo. Since
October last year, the Kosovo Special Prosecution has launched investigations
into six cases of corruption (two cases are handled by local special
prosecutors) and six organised crime cases (four with a cross border dimension,
two cases are dealt with by local special prosecutors). Cooperation between
EULEX prosecutors and local prosecutors in the Special Prosecution office has
intensified over the reporting period. The special anti-corruption department
of the Kosovo police, in cooperation with EULEX, launched eight investigations
during the period of October 2012 – January 2013 covering criminal acts such as
organised crime, abuse of official duty, giving and receiving bribery, and
fraud. Within the framework of the Joint Rule of Law
Coordination Board based in Pristina, the three co-chairs of the Board (Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, the EUSR/Head of EU Office and Head of
EULEX) signed a document ('Compact') on 9 November. This document provides a
framework setting out key rule of law principles and joint objectives, and
identifies the means by which they are to be implemented. The Board intends to
review its implementation regularly. At its meeting on 7 March, it had a first
discussion on a Compact Tracking Mechanism. Kosovo authorities have invited
EULEX to monitor the recruitment of officials in senior positions in key rule
of law institutions including the police and the judiciary. Practical cooperation
as well as strong political commitment by the Kosovo authorities to support the
work of EULEX and the implementation of its mandate need to be maintained. Kosovo authorities continue to be willing to
support the work of the Special Investigative Task Force. The new court
structure was introduced on 1 January 2013 and its implementation has started
successfully. The outcome of the implementation of the judicial reform can only
be fully appreciated once the process has been completed. In this context, Kosovo
has maintained the competences of the Special Prosecution, in line with its
commitments following the feasibility study. If the on-going implementation of
judicial reform proves to be effective and confirms the need and after a
thorough review in close coordination with the EU, Kosovo and the EU may begin
a joint reflection on how to best adapt the Special Prosecution's competences
to the restructured criminal justice system. During the second half of 2012, Kosovo adopted
new strategies and action plans against organised crime, narcotics and
terrorism. It also has a strategy and an action plan against trafficking in
human beings. The anti-corruption policy framework was completed by a new
anti-corruption strategy accompanied by an action plan adopted on 11 February.
The Assembly also approved a law on the confiscation of assets and revised the
law on the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism. This
legislation and these strategies have improved both the policy and legal
frameworks for the fight against organised crime and corruption, and Kosovo
needs to continue their implementation. ·
Public
administration: adopt the necessary secondary legislation of
laws on civil service and on salaries for the civil service. Allocate premises
to the Ombudsperson Institution and ensure its budgetary independence through
obliging the government to include the Ombudsperson's draft budget proposal
into the global draft budget submitted to the parliament without changes. Since the adoption of the feasibility study,
Kosovo has enacted secondary legislation of laws on the civil service and on
salaries for the civil service necessary for their implementation. This includes
the regulation on civil servants' career promotion, the regulation on conditions for restrictions on the right to strike in
specific services in the civil service, the regulation for care procedures for
civil servants due to disability and health problems, the regulation on
allowances in salaries and other compensations for civil servants, and the
regulation on working hours and compensation for civil servants of the Assembly.
On 3 December, in agreement with the
Ombudsperson Institution, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a
decision allocating the current premises of the Constitutional Court to the
Ombudsperson. The Constitutional Court is to move to the EU-funded Palace of Justice upon its completion later this year. The new premises and their location are
appropriate for the Ombudsperson Institution and ensure easy access for the
general public. The Ombudsperson Institution proposed its budget in June 2012.
The government included it into the global draft budget, which was submitted to
the Assembly without modifications. ·
Protection
of minorities: ensure existence of a body enabling direct
consultation on the promotion and protection of religious and cultural heritage
with religious communities, notably the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning
adopted the administrative instruction on establishing the Implementation
Monitoring Council (IMC) on 12 February. The Council has five members:
representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Ministry of Environment and
Spatial Planning, Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, OSCE and EU. The Ministry
of Environment and Spatial Planning and EU representatives co-chair the IMC.
The IMC held its first working meeting on 26 February when all parties have
confirmed their strong commitment to this process. The second meeting
addressing concerns of the Church took place on 3 April. ·
Trade:
implement
the government decision on the restructuring of the Ministry for Trade and
Industry, put in place a mechanism to lead and coordinate negotiations within
Kosovo and prepare an impact analysis of trade aspects of a Stabilisation and
Association Agreement. Kosovo has completed the restructuring of the
Ministry of Trade and Industry. The new organisational structure of the
Ministry ensures an effective organisation of the bodies in charge of
negotiating the trade related parts of the Stabilisation and Association
Agreement. Appointments to key positions have been made. Stakeholders, including economic operators, can
provide their input into Kosovo's trade policy through formal and regular
consultations. These consultations are held in the economic council, the
inter-ministerial council on trade policy and the trade policy working group,
and in its five sub-groups (trade agreements, trade facilitation, industry,
agriculture and services). In February, the Kosovo government adopted a
decision on the structure of the negotiating team for the Stabilisation and
Association Agreement. Within this structure, the Ministry of Trade and
Industry will lead the technical group supporting the negotiations on trade
related aspects of the Agreement. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has completed
its first impact
analysis of trade aspects of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The
analysis includes an assessment of the effects of trade liberalisation on trade
flows, public
finance, output and
employment.
It
is clear that this document needs to continue evolving, taking into account new
and updated data. At the same time, the proposed methodology and the first
results of the analysis provide a good basis for Kosovo to prepare for the
negotiations. 3. Other issues of December Council Conclusions Engagement of Kosovo in the dialogue between
Pristina and Belgrade and implementation of the agreements The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, following the Serbian elections, was upgraded to a high level
political process with the facilitation of the High Representative. A series of high level
meetings between the two prime ministers started in October 2012. The HR was
very clear with the two sides from the start on the concept of the process: it
would be a step by step process, going from easier to more complicated issues
and it would not be open ended. The objective was the gradual normalisation of
the two sides' relations, without prejudice to the two parties' positions on status,
and achieving progress for both in their respective EU path. Ten meetings have taken
place between October 2012 and the end of April 2013[2]. A meeting
also took place on 6 February between Presidents Nikolic and Jahjaga. In the first part of
the high level dialogue until December 2012 the discussions dealt with the set
of what was considered easier issues such as completion of IBM implementation,
religious and cultural heritage, liaison arrangements. Some first significant
results were already achieved in those first months. The most important was
IBM implementation. By the end of December 2012 four Gates, including the two
Gates in northern Kosovo, were operational and, since the end of February all
six Gates between Serbia and Kosovo are operational. In the context of the
implementation discussions, the two sides also agreed to start customs
collection and to establish a Fund for the development of northern Kosovo. Regarding
free movement, the ID card travel regime is operational and works well. The agreement
on customs stamps continues to be implemented by both sides. There was good
progress on civil registry and implementation should be completed by January
2014. Regarding cadastre, both sides are still in the process of taking the
necessary preparatory steps. The agreement on acceptance of university diplomas
is proceeding smoothly. Serbia’s cooperation with EULEX has continued to
improve in a number of areas. This will need to intensify as the normalisation between
both parties intensifies. Direct high-level contacts and regular contacts at
operational level continue to facilitate cooperation, including in the fight
against organised crime. Serbia is committed to a full implementation of the
police protocol with EULEX. Other significant
results achieved by the two Prime Ministers are the agreement on setting
liaison arrangements and the agreement on the improvement of protection of
religious and cultural heritage sites (creation of special/multi-ethnic police
unit in Kosovo). In the second part of
the high level dialogue, since January 2013, the meetings of the two Prime
Ministers focused on northern Kosovo and delivering structures which meet the
security and justice needs of the local population in a way that ensures the
functionality of a single institutional and administrative set up in Kosovo, in
line with the December 2012 Council Conclusions. During their talks, the
two sides agreed that the outcome of their discussions should be a set of
principles and arrangements that would give the Kosovo Serb community a new
vision of their future, by addressing their concerns and needs but in a way
that preserved the functionality of the Kosovo institutions and legal
framework. Throughout the high
level process the two sides showed commitment and engagement. The two Prime
Ministers in particular established a good working relationship and showed
political courage and maturity in discussing issues of great sensitivity and
complexity, often with a difficult political atmosphere in the background. They
should be commended. In the last phase of the dialogue Deputy Prime Ministers
from both sides joined the meetings and their presence brought an additional
element of local political legitimacy and expertise to the table. The discussions on
northern Kosovo and the Kosovo Serb community concerns were concluded on 19
April with the initialling of a "First agreement of principles governing
the normalisation of relations". The agreement provides
for the establishment of an Association/Community of Serb municipalities in
Kosovo which will function/operate within the existing legal framework of
Kosovo. The Association/Community will have a statute and its own bodies on the
basis of the other existing Association in Kosovo and will have a
representative role to the central government. On police, the text of
the agreement affirms the principle of a single police force in Kosovo and the
integration of all police in northern Kosovo to the Kosovo Police. A regional
Police commander is appointed for the four northern municipalities. He is
nominated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo from a list provided by
the four mayors. This means that it was agreed that the four mayors of the
northern Serb majority municipalities would consult the Association/Community
and submit a list to the Ministry of Internal Affairs who will make the
nomination from this list. On judiciary, the text
affirms the principle of integration and functioning of all judicial
authorities within the Kosovo legal framework. An Appellate Court in Pristina
is established to deal with all Kosovo Serb majority municipalities and a
division of this Court will sit permanently in northern Mitrovica. Municipal elections,
according to the agreement will be organised in the northern municipalities in
2013 with the facilitation of the OSCE. The text of the
agreement also provides for concluding the discussions on energy and telecoms
by mid-June. The two parties have
agreed that neither side will block, or encourage others to block the other
side's progress in their respective EU paths. As to next steps, the
two parties agreed to adopt an implementation plan by 26 April and to establish
an implementation committee with the facilitation of the EU. The EU also expects
that the two parties, in the spirit of the new understanding/relation between
them and without prejudice to the positions on the status of Kosovo, will
continue to work further for the normalisation of relations between them and in
this framework will address, among other issues, Kosovo's integration/participation
in international bodies. Public administration reform The feasibility study concluded that the legal
framework necessary for a stable and professional public administration is
largely in place. By meeting the short-term priorities set out in the study,
Kosovo has further improved its legal framework and has created the conditions
for the implementation of the laws on civil service and on salaries of civil
servants. Kosovo has now started focusing its efforts on implementing
legislation, the public administration reform strategy and its action plan. Kosovo has also made good efforts to strengthen
the Ombudsperson Institution. Its budget approved by the Assembly for this year
has increased from last year's €636,000 to just above €1 million. This allows
an increase of staff from 48 to 60 employees. Public administration reform is a long term
effort. Other Western Balkan countries benefitting from Stabilisation and
Association Agreements continue to face this challenge. Kosovo's progress to
date provides for the necessary basis (legislative and policy frameworks) to
move forward in this important area. Consolidating rule of law The feasibility study concluded that the core
institutional and legal framework to ensure the rule of law in Kosovo is in
place.
On a number of occasions, Kosovo leaders have reiterated their political
commitment to the fight against organised crime and corruption. This
political commitment provides a good basis for the law enforcement and judicial
authorities in Kosovo to further improve their performance, notably as regards
providing evidence of the fight against organised crime and corruption. Kosovo
needs to continue implementing measures to prevent and combat trafficking in
human beings, drugs and weapons. Some important cases have been brought to trial
by the prosecution. Last November, the District Court of Pristina confirmed the
indictment filed by the prosecution for charges of abuse of official position
or authority, and fraud against former ministers; the court procedure is
on-going. In November 2012, the District Court of Pristina also confirmed the
indictment against the former manager of the Pristina municipality procurement
office and five other officials for abuse of official position or authority. The municipal court in Pejë/Peć in October
and November 2012 convicted and sentenced 34 individuals, including high
officials of the Business Faculty in Pejë/Peć, on charges including abuse
of official position or authority, misappropriation in office, fraud in office
and falsifying official documents. The court judgment also prohibits the
exercise of official duty for these sentenced and convicted officials. In
January 2013, a mixed panel of Kosovo and EULEX judges at the Basic Court of
Pejë/Peć convicted nine defendants of offences relating to smuggling of
migrants. Overall, in 2012 Kosovo courts have resolved 183 cases regarding
'abuse of official position and authority', 6 cases of organised crime, 22
cases of trafficking in human beings, 186 cases of narcotic related offences
and 24 cases of weapons related offences. These concrete results of joint efforts of
Kosovo and EULEX demonstrate the closeness of their practical cooperation. At
the same time, the fight against organised crime and corruption remains a
challenge and Kosovo needs to continue making progress in this area both on its
own and in cooperation with EULEX. The feasibility study concluded that the basic
institutions of the judiciary have started to perform their role, and
that legislation provides for strong guarantees of the independence of the
judiciary. On
1 January, the laws on courts and on prosecution entered into force,
introducing a new court and prosecution structure. It replaces the former
structure of municipal and district courts by seven basic courts and one court
of appeal. Its implementation has started without major difficulties. The new
legal framework contributes to the independence, effectiveness, accountability
and impartiality of the judicial system in Kosovo and its implementation will be
subject to further review in the future. The new criminal code and criminal procedural
code entered into force at the same time as the laws on courts and prosecution.
This has brought about a major overhaul of Kosovo's judicial and criminal
justice system. The new criminal code contains provisions, inter alia,
on the smuggling of migrants, trafficking in human beings, the production and
trafficking of drugs, organised crime, corruption and arms trafficking. Its
provisions respect the exclusive and subsidiary competences of the Special
Prosecution. It is too early in the process to qualify the practical impact of
these judicial reforms, as their implementation has only just started. It is to
be expected that the practical implementation of such complex reforms will
necessitate further legislative modifications. The feasibility study confirmed that freedom of
expression
is guaranteed in the constitution. Kosovo abrogated the two
articles on criminal liability and protection of journalist sources from the criminal
code in October last year. The new criminal procedural code also includes
journalists in the category of witnesses exempt from the duty to testify. As a result,
media are not criminally liable. On 28 February, the relevant committee of the
Assembly organised, with the support of the OSCE, a public hearing for
representatives of journalist associations. At the hearing, issues that affect
media freedoms, in particular physical attacks and threats against journalists,
were discussed. At the end of last year, Kosovo police, in cooperation with
EULEX, launched an investigation into threats to members of a non-governmental
organisation, which had issued a magazine on LGBT issues. Kosovo authorities continue to be regularly
challenged in the Assembly, the media, by civil society or by public protests. Kosovo
needs to continue creating an environment conducive to freedom of expression
and needs to ensure that attacks on journalists are thoroughly investigated. Toolbox supporting Kosovo in its reform efforts To guide Kosovo's reform efforts, the Commission
has developed a number of instruments. The Stabilisation and Association
Process Dialogue, launched following the 2009 Commission Communication Kosovo
– Fulfilling its European Perspective,[3]
has proven to be an essential tool in mobilising, discussing and
prioritising Kosovo's overall European reform agenda. The Structured
Dialogue on the Rule of Law is setting common EU-Kosovo priorities to
tackle rule of law challenges. It provides for strong political guidance on
reform to consolidate the rule of law. The visa liberalisation dialogue
with Kosovo was launched in January 2012 and as in the other countries of
Western Balkans, it is a core framework for Kosovo to adopt and implement
reforms in the rule of law area. In all these processes, the Ministry of
European Integration is playing an important role. It has set-up solid
mechanisms within Kosovo to prioritise, coordinate and ensure the delivery of
results. Other elements of Kosovo's European perspective
of the December Council Conclusions In December, the Council recalled the EU's
willingness to assist the economic and political development of Kosovo through
a clear European perspective, in line with the European perspective of the
region. It again underlined the need to take concrete steps to this effect. In
its 2009 Communication on Kosovo, the Commission proposed to examine the opportunity of
a framework agreement with Kosovo on the general principles of its
participation in EU programmes. In October 2012, the Council authorised the
Commission to negotiate such an agreement. At the beginning of this year, the
Commission concluded the negotiations and it intends to adopt proposals for
Council decisions on the signature and conclusion of a framework agreement with
Kosovo shortly. Kosovo became a member of the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a Country of Operations in
December 2012. The EBRD is preparing a three year country strategy. This will
allow the Bank to broaden and diversify its intervention in support of Kosovo's
socio-economic development. An EBRD mission visited Kosovo in December. The
Bank offices in Pristina moved to larger premises with a view to increasing its
staff in Kosovo. The President of the Bank visited Kosovo on 8 February. The European Investment Bank is currently
discussing a framework agreement with the government of Kosovo. The parties
need to agree areas in which the Bank will invest. The intention is to approve
and sign the agreement in spring. EIB operations can start soon thereafter. A
joint EIB-Commission mission visited Kosovo in December 2012. The EIB does not
plan to have a permanent presence in Kosovo. 4. Conclusions Since the adoption of the feasibility study in
October 2012 and the Council conclusions of December 2012, Kosovo has met all
the short-term priorities identified in the study. Kosovo has demonstrated its commitment to the
fight against organised crime and corruption. It has adopted the necessary
legislation and strategic documents, and maintained the competences of the
Special Prosecution. A number of investigations into organised crime and
corruption have been launched. Kosovo has maintained good cooperation with
EULEX and continues to be willing to support the work of the Special
Investigative Task Force. New premises have been allocated to the
Ombudsperson Institution. The government refrained from modifying the proposed
budget of the Ombudsperson prior to submission of the draft general budget to
the Assembly. The secondary legislation necessary for the implementation of the
public administration reform has also been adopted. The new Implementation and Monitoring Council
bringing together Serbian Orthodox Church, Kosovo authorities, the EU and the
OSCE was put in place and has started to function. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has been
restructured and appointments to key positions have been made. A mechanism to
lead and coordinate negotiations on trade issues in the context of a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement is in place. Kosovo will be able to
define its negotiating position on the basis of the impact analysis of trade
aspects of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement. As a
result, the Commission submits its proposal for a Council decision authorising
the opening of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement
between the European Union and Kosovo.[4] Kosovo has taken very significant steps towards visible and
sustainable improvement in relations with Serbia, in line with the Council
conclusions of December 2012. Kosovo has actively and constructively engaged in
the EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia and entered discussions on the whole
range of issues necessary to achieve visible and sustainable improvement in
relations with Serbia. The dialogue was upgraded to a high level political process with
the facilitation of the High Representative. Ten meetings have taken place
between October 2012 and the end of April 2013. A meeting also took place on 6
February between Presidents Nikolic and Jahjaga. Implementation of agreements
reached in the dialogue to date has also continued. On Integrated Border
Management, joint interim crossing points were opened on all six gates and they
are up and running. The agreement on protection of religious and cultural heritage
sites of December 2012 is being implemented. The agreement on customs stamps
continues to be implemented by both sides. There was good progress on civil
registry and implementation should be completed by January 2014. Regarding
cadastre, both sides are still in the process of taking the necessary
preparatory steps. The agreement on acceptance of university diplomas is
proceeding smoothly. The two sides also agreed to start customs collection and to
establish a Fund for the development of northern Kosovo. In the second part of
the high level dialogue, since January 2013, the meetings of the two Prime
Ministers focused on northern Kosovo leading to the initialling of the
agreement of 19 April 2013 on a "First agreement of principles governing
the normalisation of relations". On this basis, the Commission considers that Kosovo has engaged
seriously and constructively in taking steps towards a visible and sustainable
improvement of relations with Serbia. * This designation is without
prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the
ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. [1] COM(2012) 602 final [2] 19 October, 7
November, 4 December and 17 January, 20 February, 4 March, 20 March, 2 April,
17 April and 19 April [3] COM(2009) 534 final [4] COM(2013) 200 final