Thewesternbalkans
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, and the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O’Brien, talked on April 1 about Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, the monetary regulations in Kosovo and the implementation of the agreements reached between Kosovo and Serbia in the Brussels dialogue.
O’Brien wrote on the X social network that “we talked about the importance of implementing monetary regulations so that they benefit all Kosovar citizens, including the Serbian minority community.”
On February 1, the Central Bank of Kosovo established a new regulation defining the euro as the only official currency in the country, thus prohibiting the use of the Serbian dinar. The United States has asked Kosovo to suspend the regulation, to give time to the affected citizens to adapt to the new practice.
Calling this phone call productive, Osmani said that they discussed Kosovo’s steps towards membership in the Council of Europe, where Kosovo has applied in 2022 and the “full and swift implementation of the Brussels agreement”.
Comment: The Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Council of Europe, on March 27, approved the report of the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, where it is recommended that the country has fulfilled the conditions to become a full member of the Council of Europe.
The next step, according to this committee, will be on April 18, when this report will be voted on before the Parliamentary Assembly in its full composition.
