Now that it’s been almost a year since the signing of the agreement on demarcation of the borderline between Kosovo and Montenegro, the need for an open parliamentary debate on the issue is inevitable.

Demarcation of the Kosovo borders is important for its political future, and for increasing the level of security in general. Moreover, the importance to put behind this issue has progressed with European Commission setting it as a criterion for Kosovo visa liberalization process.

The claims of citizens and demarcation experts on potential mistakes made by state Commission for marking the border with Montenegro, have generated objections from opposition political parties, which have been followed by non-parliamentary actions. Consequently, Parliament is not fully functional, and this is directly affecting the efficiency of other state institutions.  The Assembly as the highest representative and legislative institution in the country, is obliged to hold the government responsible and accountable but also to address the concerns of citizens and offer them solutions. Despite the fact that this process requires rapid solutions, there’s no need to run into rash decisions which could be irreversible.

The initiative of the MP Shpejtim Bulliqi, already supported by 20 MPs for a debate between the State Commission and experts of this field deserves the attention of institutional leaders and constitutes a real opportunity for a proper debate.

On the other hand, the outspoken readiness of opposition parties to return to Parliament to discuss the issue of demarcation and to give up on the non-parliamentary actions marks a new political situation which must be taken seriously by the government and coalition partners. KDI believes that the challenges can be overcome if they are debated and addressed jointly and solely in the interest of the state and citizens.

 

KDI requests from Parliament and Government to support and encourage parliamentary debate, public hearings or other argument sharing mechanisms before demarcation agreement is proceeded in the Assembly for ratification. This would ensure a greater transparency of the process and would contribute to the conclusion of this matter through an inclusive dialogue and a broad social consensus. In this context, KDI expects from MPs, political parties in Parliament and the Government greater maturity and willingness to take on responsibilities and to respect the state and constitutional obligations.