<EntPE>EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT</EntPE>
AD HOC DELEGATION TO KOSOVO
REPORT
<Titre>from the Co-Chairpersons </Titre>Mrs. Doris Pack and Mr. Terence Wynn
31st of May – 3rd of June 2000
<TitreType</TitreType>ire
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR
COMMITTEES AND DELEGATIONS
6 June 2000
CONTENTS page
1. Background and Purpose of the delegation 4
2. The Humanitarian Assitance (Pillar I) 5
3. Civil Administration (Pillar II) 6
4. Institution Building (Pillar III) 8
5. Economic Reconstruction (Pillar IV) 9
6. Implementing Difficulties and Bottlenecks 15
7. Observations and Recommendations 15
ANNEXES 19
Annex I : Programme
Annex II: Press release
Annex III: Sectoral needs and their financing
(Kosovo reconstruction 2000 – UNMIK)
Annex IV: European Agency for Reconstruction
(Action Plan on 3 May 2000)
Annex V: Projects transmitted by the Task Force to the European
Agency for Reconstruction
REPORT
by Ms Doris Pack and Mr Terence Wynn
Co-Chairpersons of the “ad hoc delegation”
to the Chairman of the European Parliament’s
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy
1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: THE PURPOSE OF THE MISSION
The Conference of Presidents, following a request of the Committee on Budgets, decided to send an EP ad hoc delegation to Kosovo, requesting the political groups to appoint their representatives. The delegation was composed by:
Ms Doris Pack (EPP-ED) and Mr Terence Wynn (PES), co-chairpersons, Ms Emma Bonino (TDI), Mr André Brie (GUE/NGL), Mr Göran Färm (PES), Mr Vitaliano Gemelli (EPP-ED), Mr Gorka Knörr Borràs, Ms Lousewies van der Laan (ELDR), Mr Jan Joost Lagendijk (Verts/Ale), Ms Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN), Mr Hannes Swoboda (PES).
The ad hoc delegation decided to concentrate its mission in Kosovo, and the border region with FYROM in view of:
- evaluating the political situation in Kosovo and the financial needs, in particular regarding the pillar IV– economic reconstruction (under EU leadership);
- ascertaining the degree and nature of international assistance in the framework of the existing “four pillars” integrating the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)[1], and evaluating their significance in relation to the existing needs;
- acknowledging the use of European funds and the real financial disbursement of other donors, including Member States;
- evaluating the level of co-ordination of the different contributions – bilateral and multilateral and between the Agency for Reconstruction and UNMIK;
- evaluating the spending mechanism through the Agency for Reconstruction.
- improving political visibility of the European Union assistance in Kosovo;
Apart from the usual information, two background documents, prepared by the Secretariat of the Committee on Budgets, were distributed to the members of this delegation before the start of its mission, recalling the main budgetary aspects and problems of the EU financial assistance to the western Balkans and including, therefore, the budgetary aspects of EU assistance to Kosovo.
Following UN Resolution of 10 June 1999 (N° 1224), the UNMIK activity is implemented on the basis of four components (Pillars) and through a Strategic Planning Document prepared by the Executive Committee’s Joint Planning group. UNMIK considers that it has to take the place and act as a usual good administrator, in what concerns all the plants, factories or other properties, which were property of the state of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before the war.
2. THE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (Pillar I)
Headed by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this pillar covers the priority problems of humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation and those linked to mine clearance; it also deals with returns of refugees.
The UNHCR activity has been implemented closely with other UN organisations and NGOs. Since February it has been implemented in the framework of the Inter-Agency Coordination meeting. The Humanitarian Community Information Centre in Pristina (coordinated by UNHCR) provides information exchange, meeting facilities as well as mapping and data services. This Centre is also supporting the civil administration and economic reconstruction.
As humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation will give place to a new phase of economic development and reconstruction, a phasing out of this support is envisaged by UNMIK.
Either UNMIK or the Agency for Reconstruction confirmed that in the future there should not be a need for a prolonged large-scale humanitarian role in Kosovo, after the winter 2000. For that reason UNMIK intends to phase out the importance of humanitarian affairs component.
An orderly transition in development and assistance to ensure that humanitarian actions are absorbed by longer-term development and reconstruction programmes and avoiding overlap and undesirable gaps, is therefore being explored.
The Commission representative confirmed that apart from € 30 million carried over from the 1999 budget into 2000, a supplementary amount of € 18 million is intended to be allocated from 2000 appropriations, bringing the total amount needed for 2000 up to an amount of at least € 48 million. In such a case part of appropriations made available for 2000 under Humanitarian aid should not be necessary leaving “free” for other purposes about 30 million Euros. As for 2001 the appropriations to be allocated will reflect the results of the on going external evaluation of the ECHO funded programs in the region; they will certainly be substantially lower than 2000.
The sites visited by the delegation on Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation (Pristina School/ ECHO as well as University and Mitrovica/Agency) proved that small projects could make significant difference in the life of the population and contribute to the visibility of the EU assistance near the beneficiaries. The visits to the University of Pristina, to the secondary Technical School in Pristina and to Mitrovica were seen as good examples of EU assistance to the restarting of ordinary life by providing basic education and sanitation facilities for the students on environmental infrastructure, and support to Income Generating Activities. Express requests were made to the delegation about the possibility of financing a language laboratory, as well as a chemistry lab or furniture through twinning schemes with other universities or local authorities. An exchange scheme of students was also requested. There are about 140 schools that need to be renovated or reconstructed in Kosovo.
From the 830,000 refugees who have returned, about 126,000 did this in an organised manner with the assistance of UNHCR and IOM.
The return is one of the major issues not only for the Albanian majority but also for the Serb minority (see point 4-minorities). The return of refugees still remaining in third countries will be the most important aspect of this pillar in the future.
According to the Yugoslav Red Cross, the number of registered internally displaced persons from Kosovo in Serbia and Montenegro is 235,000. A plan of action in favour of possible return of displaced communities was agreed at the beginning of May between Kosovo Albanian and minority leaders (in the framework of the Interim Administrative Council). The communities concerned are Roma, Ashkalifa and Egyptian.
Mine clearance is being implemented under the Mine Action programme coordinated by the UN Action Coordination Centre, which will probably be working on a regular basis for 3 years. About 486 mine related casualties were identified since June 1999 (of which 100 died). A community awareness programme is being implemented including training of mine-awareness educators. The EU financing (UNMAC) in 2000 will be about € 2.2 million as regards the clearance of the priority dangerous areas which total about 360 square km (at this moment about 4.5 square km are cleared). The EU financing also covers the access to proper medical facilities.
The clearance of these areas is of utmost urgency, not only for security reasons but also because of the importance of the agricultural sector in the economy of Kosovo. The UN is ensuring the mine clearance of the estimated 1,300 unexploded cluster bombs, which were dropped by NATO.
3. CIVIL ADMINISTRATION (Pillar II)
On 15 December 1999, the Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS) was established. It includes at central level the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) and the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC).
The Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS) marked an important step towards a governing system based on sharing responsibility with the local population, including the appointment of local co-heads. The JIAS also reflects the need to pass from a dual system of governance and administration to a sharing and multi-ethnic system.
The three major Kosovo Albanian parties [2] participate actively in this structure. The Serb National Council, headed by Bishop Artemije accepted to participate as an observer[3]. The Kosovo Bosniac and the Kosovo Turkish communities are not participating due to their divisions.
The JIAS includes today 20 administrative departments divided across the 4 Pillars, depending on responsibility and headed jointly by international and local co-directors. 4 departments have been allocated to minorities (2 for Serbs and 2 to other minorities); 5% of the Kosovo consolidated budget is used in financing the JIAS structure.
One of the main tasks of international co-heads in the local municipalities is to promote the development of a professional and impartial municipal civil service (depoliticising the selection of staff and implementing objective merit criteria). Some doubts were raised, however, by representatives of local NGOs about the efficiency of the action of locally placed international people who do not know the language nor the culture of the inhabitants.
However, the contacts with the secretary of the Regional Administrator for Pristina Mr Aguilar, and with the secretary of the municipal Council Mr Hakiv Shaxolli, identified some of the existing points of tension in the local administration (the names of the streets, mutual confidence between international and local staff, choice of houses to be repaired or rebuild and the kind of repairs). The possibility of internationalising Pristina through the Twinning programme for schools or other sectors was also examined. The criteria identifying each political representative in the Administration Council were not clear. The absence at local level of an executive body will be solved in a near future after the local elections.
The Interim Administrative Council (IAC) is constituted by Kosovo leaders of the main parties, and met the EP ad hoc delegation. The Serb National Council, which is participating as an observer, intervened in the meeting. As the Kosovo Bosniac and the Kosovo Turks do not participate in the IAC this Council has eight members, including the Serb observer. It has lately been involved in discussing the Regulations for the preparation of Municipal elections, expected to take place by autumn 2000 (October) and meets on average twice a week. The contact with this Council permitted to examine the main difficulties between the existing communities, in particular due to the lack of security felt by the Serbian minority and its refusal in participating on the on going registration procedure unless some conditions are fulfilled (see below point 4 – minorities).
The Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC) acts as a link between the Kosovo citizens and the JIAS and it can be seen as the institution representative of the people. It was therefore enlarged from 12 to 35 members in order to include representatives of all the different ethnic groups. Since April it was joined by Serb representatives as observers. It works on the basis of commissions and working groups.The meeting with the delegation was, as the previous one, the occasion for the delegation to try to convince the different parts involved in the advantages in communicating and working together, in view of rebuilding in coexistence a new Kosovo. An appeal for participating in the registration procedure was once again made by the EP ad hoc delegation.
Most of KTC members called for a sustainable support from EU over the four coming years at least. They insisted that the international assistance should concentrate on two issues: economic development and building democracy.
A for the relations with other regions and countries, the contacts of UNMIK with the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is done through the Committee for Co-operation with UNMIK in Pristina, and in the framework of the Military-Technical Agreements (including for the issue of detainees and missing persons).
UNMIK maintains talks with the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), in particular in relation with improving the Blace border crossing point (see below point 5). A memorandum of Understanding on customs issues which has the agreement of the FYROM authorities is expected to be signed on 6 June (after some months of delay from the UNMIK side). FYROM has also supplied electrical energy or is allowing it to pass through.
As for the security situation, the United Nations Kosovo Force (KFOR)[4] confirm that in spite of the decline in the overall level of violence after the tension and numerous acts of violence in the Mitrovica area last February, people feel still very insecure, in particular, minorities. The events (several attacks to Serb population) of the last days (end of May, beginning of June) could be explained for the fact that the anniversary of the end of war is approaching. The real origin of these recent acts of violence is being investigated. It is of most importance to start clearly separating the acts of criminal violence from these committed for political reasons.
The KFOR overall objective is to maintain a safe and secure environment in Kosovo in order to optimize the reconstruction and democratisation process. Although KFOR needs to duly take into consideration the different limitations linked to the nature of peace support (KFOR is composed of 40 national contributions with different approaches), NATO imposes common standards to the forces and organises operationality on this basis.
At the end of March the UNMIK Police Force was 2,571 (of which 209 were border police). It is estimated that by December 2000 there will be 2,751 individuals in the Kosovo Police Service achieving only then the desired number of 3,200 to 4,000 trained members. Meanwhile reinforcing this Police Force is a priority. The representatives of the Serb minority insisted that such reinforcement should focus also on anti-terrorist experts and specialised staff on the fight against organised crime.
4. INSTITUTION BUILDING: DEMOCRATISATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS, MINORITIES AND MISSING PERSONS (Pillar III)
Headed by OSCE the action under this pillar wants to decrease the number of violation of Human Rights which are mostly committed for ethnic reasons and focused on Kosovo Serbs, Roma, and Slavic Muslims. The Albanian minority in the North of Mitrovica was also under harassment, where about 1,600 Kosovo Albanians were forced to leave their homes last February. Human rights violations continue to occur also within the Albanian community.