Toespraak EU-Commissaris Olli Rehn van uitbreiding op de donorenconferentie voor Kosovo (en)

SPEECH/08/389

Olli Rehn

EU Commissioner for Enlargement

Matching political engagement with concrete contributions - Donors' Conference for Kosovo

Kosovo Donors Conference

Brussels, 11 July 2008

Dear Prime Minister, Ministers, Parliamentarians, EU Special Representative, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you today to this important event – important for Kosovo, for Europe and for the international community. I appreciate your readiness to participate and contribute to the socialand economic development of one of the poorest regions in Europe, for the moment.

This conference is indeed a demonstration of our commitment to Kosovo's future. It is a joint effort, which would not have been possible without your engagement. I welcome the work done by the Kosovo authorities in preparing the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, as well as the important contributions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

I also thank warmly all the countries present here today that have accompanied Kosovo since 1999. I trust your commitment and continuing support will ensure the success of our efforts in Kosovo. A special thank to Director Henrietta Fore, in charge of US Foreign Assistance, for US sizeable contribution to our joint effort. In fact for the past decade Kosovo and the Western Balkans as a whole have been an example of sound and solid transatlantic partnership.

Before moving further, let me recall the context in which this initiative takes place.

In 1999, when Kosovo emerged from a devastating conflict, we organised a Donor's Conference aimed at assisting reconstruction efforts. The issues we faced then had to do with re-building houses and roads, helping people return and re-integrate in their communities, providing humanitarian assistance. It was mainly a question of providing food, clothing, medicines and immediate help for reconstructions.

In that context the European Agency for Reconstruction was set up and our resources geared to help the area return to normality after its prolonged conflict and deprivation. In the period between 1999 and 2007, Kosovo benefited from over 3.5 billion euros of reconstruction assistance. I am proud that the EU contributed about two thirds of the combined effort.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to seize this opportunity to pay tribute to the invaluable work the Agency did over those years, and praise its efficiency in effectively steering the process of reconstruction. The European Agency for Reconstruction is truly a best practice for EU's international assistance.

Today – thankfully - we face challenges of a different nature.

Kosovo has committed itself to a tall order of responsibilities. These include:

A high standard of protection for human and minority rights, including the rights of Roma communities; This is one of the cornerstones of the plan presented by Martti Ahtisaari.

Improving the socio-economic conditions for all people in Kosovo

Good governance through reinforced administrative capacity and sound rule of law

Protection of cultural and religious heritage; as well as

Promotion and development of regional cooperation and a commitment to peace and stability in the region.

The international community cannot but welcome such commitments. Achieving them across the region of the Western Balkans is a key priority for the EU and the European Commission.

* * *

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have an ambitious objective today. Overall, we aim at reaching the amount of one billion euros in donors' pledges in order to cover gaps in financial needs in the years 2009-2013. We base this target on the needs assessment carried out by the Kosovo authorities themselves, after a long and arduous exercise.

For the benefit of Kosovo's citizens, the EU is ready to pledge 500 m€i.e. half a billion euros over the next three years based on inter-institutional talks and subject, of course, to sufficient appropriations been voted by our budgetary authorities.

Our pledge today is an expression of our trust. But implementation remains an outstanding issue. We are waiting to see the results. It is now up to the people and institutions of Kosovo to live up to the expectations they have raised in the eyes of the international community. I am aware that some international donors and many in EU budgetary authority are concerned by Kosovo's absorption capacity. I had the opportunity to discuss this issue in details with some MEPs this week in Strasbourg.

Kosovo's programme of development is based on an acceleration of their investment programme. Some of these investments, such as those financed with EU funds, will be implemented by donors themselves, therefore not placing a strain on Kosovo's capacity to manage funds.

The Kosovo authorities are aware that they need to build up the capacity to manage projects better. They have benefitted from assistance to improve their management of funds, and the World Bank has been particularly active here. The EU has also funded projects to improve Kosovo's public procurement framework.

I can assure you that all donors will monitor progress closely and make every euro given out to Kosovo accounted for and put to good use. This means a major responsibility for the Kosovo authorities. I trust they see that it is as much in their interest than mine to ensure that the EU's Court of Auditors and the EP's Cocobu are satisfied with the way the EU tax payer's money is used.

In any case, by putting half of identified financial needs on the table today, the EU intends to demonstrate its ability to match political engagement with concrete contributions.

Through the years of its existence, the European Union and its enlargement policy have proven capable of encouraging reform across the continent. It has developed a system of values and standards ensuring prosperity, stability and security within its member states and beyond.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our commitment to Kosovo and the Western Balkans remains as firm as ever.

I want to underline that in December 2007, the European Council reaffirmed that the future of the Western Balkans lies within the European Union.

Most recently last month, only a few days after the Irish No vote, the June European 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 also expressed its support for the Donor's Conference and encouraged bilateral and multilateral donors to pledge assistance.

The international representatives present here today share a common interest. They want to see Kosovo advance quickly in its socio-economic development and move away from being one of the poorest regions in Europe.

In other words, this conference invests in improving the living conditions of all people in Kosovo regardless of their ethnic or religious background. What we are

aiming at today is something very concrete: create the economic conditions for growth, investment and for creation of jobs for all of Kosovo’s communities.

Funds should be directed, inter alia, to improving the conditions for education of Kosovo’s children (where some schools currently operate 3 shifts per day).

They should be directed to develop Kosovo’s institutions to consolidate democracy and rule of law and ensure good governance in a multi-ethnic society. They should be directed to create a business-friendly environment for enterprises and for investments in the infrastructure that will connect Kosovo with the rest of the region.

All such improvements are indeed key for peace, stability, liberty and democracy as well as prosperity both in Kosovo and in the region. And this is an undisputed priority, which can be achieved through vision, patience and determination.

Thank you all again for being here and I urge you to contribute generously to a very worthy effort that can certainly make a difference for the better.