Today, KDI officially launched the project “Promoting European common values” funded by the European Commission Program ‘Europe for Citizens’. Although it was planned to take place as a public activity with the physical presence of the participants, the launch of this project was done in online format due to the situation with the Covid-19. The Project aims to promote European values such as the rule of law, democracy, transparency, press freedom, equality and solidarity; to encourage the active participation of citizens, especially young people; broaden citizens’ knowledge of the rights and responsibilities that come with EU membership and discussing the future of Europe, namely euroscepticism.

In the online discussion with the youth, the professor of European Integration at the University of Prishtina, Jehona Lushaku – Sadriu, and the lecturer at the Faculty of Law Artan Murati spoke about the position of Kosovo in relation to the EU integration process, where among other things stressed the importance of the undertake of  the reforms for the Kosovo integration process and the need for a more serious approach of Kosovo institutions towards this process. Speaking about the European  common values, in terms of political criteria, the need for the functioning of the principles of democracy within the institutions and political parties was mentioned, meanwhile, in the economic aspect, it was said that there is a need to build Kosovo’s relations with all European initiatives, to give results to economic reforms and to benefit from EU funds.

Participants from civil society and students, on the other hand, expressed their views on where Kosovo stands in relation to the embrace of European values, and the unequal approach of the EU to Kosovo with the visa liberalization process.