IN KOSOVO

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ThinkYoung Magazine #1

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Dear reader,

To be inspired by people is a quality which re-

quires openness and curiosity, whatever the sub-

ject is about.

To gain knowledge about a country and feel confident

to talk about it requires a journey, not only to

capture pictures but also ideas, opinions, fears,

hopes and information.

People do not see Kosovo as a country to travel

to for vacation; people have the prejudice of war,

criminality and poverty.

I am using a clich which I used to have myself be-

fore knowing anything about Kosovo and only trust-

ing what is reported by the media.

The idea to send five students on a study trip to

Kosovo revolved from the idea to give young people

the opportunity to make up their own mind about a

country only known for war.

ThinkYoung made this study trip possible.

An opportunity for young people from Belgium, Cy-

prus, Germany, Greece and Romania to see a country

with their own eyes, to listen to people explain-

ing the situation in their country firsthand and

exchanging information between the countries.

Stephanie Harstenfeller

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CONTENT

6 BEFORE KOSOVO What our participants thought on Kosovo before going on the journey.

13 A TRAVEL DIARY Introducing the cities we went to, what we were up to and what we have to say about it and what UNIGROUP has to say about it.

17 INCREASING KNOWLEDGE A selection of the articles written during the trip

24 AFTER KOSOVO What our participants think about Kosovo now.

33 PUBLISHED ARTICLES

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/// BEFORE KOSOVO

What do young Europeans know about Kosovo?

What questions they have and what do they

want to find out, when visiting this

interesting country? In order to get an idea

about their interests on Kosovo,

our participants wrote down what they know

about Kosovo.

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committed in Kosovo and this is an instance of local versus global in which the latter strikes hard and domi-nates. Loosely translated from Greek, this phrase - relic of the Balkan wars - seems to accompany any historical discussion about the Balkan region and its (mis)adventures. This is the stereotype that has legitimized all foreign intervention in the Balkans: a beast has been unleashed and it needs to be tamed. However, I should remain focused. I do not aim to pro-duce a critique of the disciplinary tac-tics of Euroamerican governance and international statebuilding. This is beyond the scope of this proj-ect. Nevertheless, I would like to ad-dress the potential of internally mobi-lized civil society in Kosovo taking this as my point of departure. There has been epistemic violence committed in Kosovo and this is an instance of local versus global in which the latter strikes hard and dominates. The inde-pendence of Kosovo has been of co-lossal significance.This year the Newborn is celebrating the fourth year of its independence. However, there is still some territory to be won, but not that kind which will upset belligerent neighbors. It is the territory of knowledge that keeps Kosovars segregated because it is mo-nopolized by the international experts that reside in the offices of Pristina, claiming to know all the how-tos and are to teach these to the indigenous population.Loosely translated from Greek, this phrase - relic of the Balkan wars - seems to accompany any historical discussion about the Balkan region and its (mis)adventures. This is the stereotype that has legitimized all foreign intervention in the Balkans: a beast has been unleashed and it needs to be tamed. However, I should remain focused. I do not aim to pro-duce a critique of the disciplinary tac-tics of Euroamerican governance and international statebuilding. This is beyond the scope of this project. Nev-ertheless, I would like to address the potential of internally mobilized civil

ON KOSOVO: THOUGHTS BEFORE A JOURNEY

I am a student of international rela-tions. I am studying towards a degree that teaches me that the only thing we can be sure about in this interna-tional system of paranoia, is its insta-bility, its unpredictability, and yet its interconnectedness. This is my only excuse for driving this discussion be-yond sovereign borders and beyond the exclusionary structures of (post)modernity. The battlefield that best captures our times is one where the local and the global collide. For Kosovo, this is an urgent observa-tion. While the state is severely con-fined by supervised interdependence, striving to meet conditions put for-ward by various patronizing entities, the hope for change and true civic liberty lies in the hands of the people of Kosovo. And with over 50% of the total population under the age of 25, there is a brand new generation to convey Kosovos message for the fu-ture. Weapons and bullets are a non-option. Its been a while since guns have been silenced and weve had enough of that. The most valuable, not destructive but, indeed, constructive, weapon for young Kosovars is civil society. That is, genuine civil society advocated from within. This is the Balkans; this is not a joke. Loosely translated from Greek, this phrase - relic of the Balkan wars - seems to accompany any historical discussion about the Balkan region and its (mis)adventures. This is the stereotype that has legitimized all foreign intervention in the Balkans: a beast has been unleashed and it needs to be tamed. However, I should remain focused. I do not aim to produce a critique of the disciplinary tactics of Euroamerican governance and international state-building. This is beyond the scope of this project. Nevertheless, I would like to address the potential of internally mobilized civil society in Kosovo taking this as my point of departure. There has been epistemic violence

society in Kosovo taking this as my point of departure. There has been epistemic violence committed in Koso-vo and this is an instance of local ver-sus global in which the latter strikes hard and dominates. The indepen-dence of Kosovo has been of colossal significance.This year the Newborn is celebrating the fourth year of its independence. However, there is still some territory to be won, but not that kind which will upset belligerent neighbors. It is the territory of knowledge that keeps Kosovars segregated because it is mo-nopolized by the international experts that reside in the offices of Pristina, claiming to know all the how-tos and are to teach these to the indigenous population.

Elena Georgalla

WHY KOSOVO?

In a few days, my second journey to Kosovo will begin. Even though, I have visited Kosovo in the summer before to shoot a documentary about young people beyond Prishtina, I will now take part of this study trip, not only to represent ThinkYoung, but also to travel as a European student. I call myself European because I live in Germany, work in Belgium and study in the Netherlands. What a freedom! Unfortunately, not everyone has the same opportunities we have in the Eu-ropean Union. I did not know the situ-ation in Kosovo was so bad, meaning that people can only travel visa free to 5 other countries and achieving a visa for the European Union, a Schengen visa, is rather difficult. During my research in the last months, I considered it rather unbelievable that there are parts of the world where peo-ple are actually forced in a ghetto. I think what makes you European is that you have the possibility to trav-el, to experience new cultures, learn about different ways of life and learn how to respect and live in another country. I think it is also the road to success nowadays.

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same opportunities as they have in Europe. Therefore, I can also under-stand the politics of my own country, Germany, which was one of the coun-tries against visa liberalization for Kosovo for a longer period of time. Since we are known to be a paradise for immigrants at least that is what politicians say. The reality looks quite different. If you look at the conditions of asylum seek-ers in Germany, it is quite a miserable way to live. Without a working permit or any other integration in the society, not many options are left.Therefore, increasing the chance that asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe might decrease is a positive impact of visa liberaliza-tion for Kosovars. It might be true that visa liberalization will cause a wave of new immigrants to Europe, but to be honest, I think looking around me, and young people are getting quite a rare species in Western Europe. Only recently did Germany realize that with promot ing visa liberalization in the context of the reintegration mea-sures of Kosovars living abroad illegal-ly or as refugees, which have to be ful-filled for Kosovo to reach its goals, it serves both Kosovo and itself in solv-ing the Kosovar immigration issue.When looking at the subject of visa lib-eralization, one has to remember that in a time of populist parties in Europe, migration flows could be negative for a multicultural Europe, because it strengthens the arguments of these particular parties and the citizens fol-lowing them. Therefore, I think it is an important task to motivate young Kosovars to invest in their country. For this, a lot more problems have to be solved by Kosovar citizens. The current political situation in Koso-vo is rather not easy to solve. The im-port embargo on Serbian goods is a reaction on the Serbian import embar-go on Kosovar goods. This behavior is a step away from Europe for both countries. I think for both Serbians and Alba-nians it is impossible to join a commu-

So how should a country, which is long-ing to become a part of the European Union, become closer to European standards, culture and way of living, if they do not have the possibility to do so? And how can the European Union justify why only Kosovo is left out of a road map to get visa liberalization. Unfortunately, just as I write this re-port, Cecilia Malmstrm visits Kosovo to release the news that Kosovo now has a real chance to get visa liberal-ization.Our commitment to visa liberalisation for the citizens of Kosovo is real, and I am very pleased that we can now start making concrete progress towards this goal. I know how important visa free travel is to the citizens of Kosovo and Im happy that weve now set the ball rolling. Whether and how soon citi-zens obtain the privilege of visa-free travel will nevertheless depend entire-ly on the Government of Kosovos con-tinuing efforts to implement reforms in the rule of law area and on concrete progress made on the ground.Even though, the European Union took now the first step towards visa liber-alization, we do not have the power to take care of the whole process ourselves, especially because we do not know what Kosovar citizens need. I think that young Europeans and young Kosovars should lobby together to influence decision-making in this field. Particularly, since over 50% of the population of Kosovo is under 25 years old. As a student, I understand that not only visa liberalization is necessary for Kosovar students to become Eu-ropean they need more European integration than this. I think it is im-portant to encourage them to lobby, hand in hand with visa liberalization, also for allowance to apply for ERAS-MUS scholarships. Moreover, I think special grants are necessary to give these young people the opportunity to go back to Kosovo and start their ca-reer and business there. I can understand why so many mi-grants stayed in Diaspora and did not go back to Kosovo if not having the

nity of globalized countries, if they do not manage to start cooperating with each other. Looking back at European history, the very foundations of the Eu-ropean Union were build upon a war, only a few years after the end of World War II, French and German politicians, at that time not really fond of each other, managed to agree to set the foundation for the European Union. Joining the European Union, to benefit from the European economy and the four freedoms is not something you do bilaterally; it means to accept supra-nationalism and European values. It means to negotiate with other states, also with Serbia. I think join-ing the EU means being open minded even towards your greatest enemy in order to achieve something for the greater good. But who am I to say I understand the problems of Kosovar society. I am looking forward to hear more about the backgrounds to this complicated situation in the Balkans, I would like to hear what the ideas are of young people there and I am look-ing forward to engage with them in in-teresting conversations to learn from each other how to influence our future in Europe.

Stephanie Harfensteller

WRITTEN REPORT ON BELGIUMS STAND TOWARDS KOSOVO

Belgium is one of the 87 countries through the world that have recognised Kosovo as an independent country. This recognition came really quickly, within 10 days of Pristinas declara-tion. It stands as a proof of Belgiums consideration despite the example it could give to some Flemish backing up the independence of their own region.The country has been following the European line concerning politics to-wards Kosovo. Though, over the years, illegal migra-tion has become a crucial concern for Belgian politicians. Considering the official numbers of asylum applies in Belgium, Kosovo represents the 3rd country of origin.

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grade, biometric passports...Which means 2012 could be decisive on visa liberalization for Kosovo by the EU, and so forth by Belgium.Being the youngest country in the world, Kosovo could play a great role in the future of the European Union. Especially since EUs popula-tion is aging. Therefore, further in-tegration is needed, which is some-thing both sides are willing to get. Meanwhile the EU could play a great role in Kosovo students lives by giving them the opportunity to live Erasmus experiences in Paris, Madrid or Dublin; by offering professional experiences abroad which could be turned into re-ality at home. And this is something I have noticed through the years, many Kosovo people that had migrated to Belgium during the war have now re-turned to Pristina, Prizren or Mitrovica to rebuild their country.It this therefore important to under-stand as citizen of the European Union what are the mechanisms and ideas which lead Kosovos population on the way to a European integration; what are Kosovos youth perceptions of to-days life, 4 years after the indepen-dence, and its hopes for the future; and finally, and what are the main dif-ferences between how the elderly andthe young Kosovo feel about each oth-er as it goes on being Serb or Albanian.

Damien Roulette

THE RELIGIOUS FACE OF KOSOVO

Muslims - Danger or Chance? More and more Muslims live in Europe to-day, what does it mean for Europe? How does it affect European values? Do they want to integrate? Do we let them integrate? How do Christians and Jews handle it? These are questions asked in a poster published on the World Wide Web by a think thank, with the purpose to en-courage a dialogue. There is no doubt that it refers to immigrants, but it fails to recognize the fact that Muslim groups have lived in Europe for centu-ries, have shaped the European his-

For a long time now, Belgium has been considered as an Eldorado for migrants, especially people originat-ing from the Balkans. In Kosovo, as in neighbouring countries, Belgium is seen as a country where you get host-ed in a hotel and, if not so, you can get 500 euros a day. This is why Brus-sels has decided to change its asylum policies towards migrants coming from the Balkans, making it more severe.To enter Belgium, Kosovo people have to get a Schengen visa which leads to a maximum three months presence in the country. As to get asylum, only 5% of the requests are fulfilled. The national situation is such that politics say we cannot accept any more refu-gees. In fact, Belgian politics since in 2009 and 2010, the European Union ap-plied the visa liberalization for many countries in the Occidental Balkans (Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ser-bia, Montenegro and Albania). As a result of this liberalization, some Eu-ropean countries, with among them Belgium, had to face an important rush of migrants. Nowadays, the fear for illegal mi-grants is stronger than ever in Bel-gium. Since then, the different Bel-gian ministers in charge of asylum and immigration have chosen for a very restrictive access to the coun-try. For instance, Belgium does not recognize economical immigration.Therefore, Belgium and Kosovo (and with the Netherlands and Luxemburg) have signed an agreement on read-mission for Pristina, obliging it to take back its illegal migrants. Also, former secretary of state for migration went twice to Kosovo (and other countries of the region) to break Belgiums El-dorado image and explain that anyone coming illegally would be turn down and sent back within two months.Though, concerning visa liberalization for Kosovo people, Belgium is waiting on the EUs decisions. We might say that in the last months, Kosovo has been improving a lot on what the EU is expecting from Pristina: controls on the borders, agreements with Bel-

tory, been part of it and enriched our continent with their culture.European Muslims are based mainly on the ter-ritories of Albania, Turkey, Bosnia - Herzegovina and Kosovo. Out of the three, Albania ranks first and Kosovo has the second largest number of Muslims in the Western Balkans, which represent 90% of its population (the rest consists of around 6% Ortho-dox Christians, 3% Catholics and 1% Protestants). Islam is the predominant religion of the ethnic Alba-nian population of Kosovo, but also of the Bosniak, Gorani and Turkish communities, and of some of the Roma/Ashkali communities. But how many of the Muslim-declared residents of Kosovo are religious and comply with the religious practices? The answer is: far less than everyone.The capital and bigger cities are inhab-ited mostly by young people, who do not place religious rituals in a position of priority among their daily activities. Instead, their schedule includes inter-ests that are familiar to most young Europeans, such as studying, party-ing and drinking, shopping and travel-ling (when it is possible to get a visa). Through the clothes they wear and the music they listen, they are in no way different from the young generations in Western Europe. So, should they be considered a danger or a threat to the European society?Moreover, Kosovo - with its 90% Mus-lim population - is branded as a secu-lar and multicultural state by its own government. Not only that it does not represent a threat, but it actually ad-opted the European values even be-fore having seen its statehood recog-nized by all the countries of Europe. Despite that, if a Kosovo citizen wants to visit any EU country, he/she is re-quired to have a Visa that most of those who apply for wont get. So do we let them integrate? It is futile to portrait Europe as a Christian club when large communities of Muslims were here for a long time, and to an-tagonize the two religions when South-East Europe is the proof that religious groups can coexist peacefully, leaving

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aside the self-destructive period of the 1990s. As a matter of fact, when interethnic and inter-religious conflicts broke out it happened because the truth is never complete, as people imagine, instead a piece of it is seen by Christians, one is seen by Muslims, one by other and another group. But in essence, people living in geographic proximity have too many similar con-cerns and are facing the same prob-lems, so they must never again per-ceive each other as enemies merely because they happened to be born in families that believe in different sym-bols. The only Muslim symbols visible in Kosovo are the mosques, which do not surpass the number of Christian churches and monasteries built there, and are outnumbered by modern ca-fs and lounges. The streets of the youngest country in the world are filled with positive energy, hope and belief in a better future. No one must worry that young Kosovars do not want to in-tegrate. It is thus the moral duty of Eu-rope to give up its double standards, to suppress its phobia about Muslim invasion and to allow these people to move freely around the continent in search of education opportunities and in pursuit of their dreams.

Doris Manu

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE KOSOVO EXPERIENCE

Why all these wars and all this blood in the former Federal Republic of Yu-goslavia? How can the United States interest in the region can be justified and where does it origin from? Why a defensive alliance, NATO, intervened twice in the region ignoring strong op-position? Till when will nationalism prevail in the Balkans? What do the Albanian Kosovars want? What do the Serbs want? What are the proposals of each one of them for a better fu-ture? Why twelve years after the war the Kosovo issue remains unsolved? Does violence help? Did the war help the Kosovars? Is Kosovo viable? Is

some useful lessons. First, that our creation, the so called European Union, was far from perfect. Second, and most important, that till each one of us doesnt clarify what EU means for us and, essentially, what sort of Europe do we want, we will re-main unable to construct a union that each of its citizens will be able to feel part of it. At this critical point that we are going through today, my opinion is that, as Europeans, the last that we want is creating a black hole in the Balkans. If we do that, the prediction that there will be trouble is really close to so-ciologists Robert Merton concept of self-fulfilling prophecy.Therefore, I am for the visa liberal-ization as part of the more general perspective of what we should do as Europeans in order to respond to the demands of our times. And the re-sponse, in my opinion, is clear: more and non-bureaucratic Europe, more European integration, more multicul-turalism, more multilingualism, more civilization.In other words, to build on what we have experienced as good till the mo-ment from the European experiment, instead of bringing the whole thing down because some problems inter-fered in the way.A Europe for everyone and not only for the powerful ones. A Europe wherethe renaissance ideas will not be left into theory, but will also come into ac-tion; and become reality.This having been said, Ill close with a brief quote from Slavoj Zizek: In contrast to the nineteenth century of utopian or scientific projects and ide-als, plans for the future, the twentieth century aimed at delivering the thing itself - at directly realizing the longed-for New Order. The ultimate and defin-ing moment of the twentieth century was the direct experience of the Real as opposed to everyday social reality - the Real in its extreme violence as the price to be paid for peeling off the deceptive layers of reality.

Lazaros Kalaitzidis

Kosovo independent? What about Kosovars everyday life? Are they happier now or was it better for them in the 80s? Or 70s? Why does it hap-pen that a country with the Kosovos economy uses a strong currency like the euro as its currency? Who was right, the KLA or Ibrahim Rugova? And who was more popular among the Al-banian population?I could get on till tomorrow. I admit that I feel a little awkward. I remem-ber I was still at college, when I first heard the word Kosovo. I cannot re-call if I heard it on the television or by someone else, but I remember very well asking the next day at school an older friend of mine do you know what Kosovo is??. His answer was simplistic and real at the same time: Kosovo, he said, is a region in Ser-bia where the 95% of the population are Albanians. The only thing I remember after this brief talk was me wondering how this could be possible. The years passed, and I finally learned that everything is possible. But the mystery about Kosovos nature was always there. Thus, I am thrilled that I am having the opportunity to visit this place.I must acknowledge that I feel a little awkward though. I chose the nature of this text resembling to a diary, or a personal confession, because I would consider it irresponsible from my sideto rush into proposals, conclusions, or judgmental statements without having full knowledge of the situation there. I still havent figured if this is a symp-tom of my law studies in Thessaloniki, where I learned not to speak if I am not sure about what I am saying, or my more recent ones on international relations in the Sorbonne University in Paris, which taught me reality is not always such as we perceive it, or as respectful people present it to us.So in this text, Ill restrain myself to only talk about the visa liberalization; subject on which I am sensible and I carry a strong opinion.The last years, especially in Greece but also in the other European coun-tries I want to believe, have taught us

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/// A TRAVEL DIARY

This section comprises extracts of the

Diaries kept by the Study trip participants

and each member of UNIGROUP accompanying us.

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a while. Growing up in divided Cyprus, the bitter sight of walls, barricades and bridges separating people, blurring the lines between tolerance and hostility, solidarity and enmity, are to me pain-fully familiar. The New Bridge of Mitro-vica, built in 2005 by the French KFOR, has become the iconicymbol of Kosovo division as it sepa-rates around 80,000 Kosovo Alba-nians in the south from half as many Serbs living in the north. It is used as a military checkpoint and provides a defacto border between Serbia and Kosovo. In my head Mitrovica is the most co-lourful of all the places we visited. In retrospect, this seems somewhat a paradox; it was a grey sunless day and the snow in the streets had turned an ugly shade of brown. I suppose my sentiments have something to do with the emotional tension of being in Mi-trovica as well as with the diversity of the people we met. In fact, what was extremely striking about Mitrovica was the existence of a very vibrant and ac-tive civil society.Our first appointment was scheduled at the offices of CBM (Commu nity Building Mitrovica), a remarkable NGO promoting peace and cooperation in the wider Mitrovica district in North-ern Kosovo. The staff consists of both ethic Serbs and Albanians who grew up in the region and aspire to restore the previous confidence destroyed by the war and politics.We had an interesting debate with the editorial team of M-Magazine, who write daily in three languages (Alba-nian, Serbian and English) in the on-line portal of the magazine. What was particularly noteworthy about the team of M-Magazine was its unique compo-sition, varying from trainee-journalists who still attend high school to univer-sity students and older experienced writers, both Serbs and Albanians. Meeting the journalists was, I dare say, refreshing. There seemed to be a general awareness of the current situ-ation in which civil society in Kosovo is operating at the moment, with many of the participants in the conversa-

PEJE

In the morning we set for Pec/Peja, a southern town in Kosovo. After a three hours ride, we discovered a typical Bal-kan municipality surrounded by beauti-ful mountains.Here we had a meeting with staff and students from the local university, fol-lowed by an encounter with high-school students who surprised us with their vast knowledge of the socio-political situation of the country.Back in the street, despite the cold weather there were a lot of young peo-ple walking around, as in the rest of Kosovo. A special feature we discovered in Peja is the bazar located in the center of the town, where locals sell every-thing from silver jewelry to tobacco and spices. We also had the privilege to be invited to try Cebape (traditional food made of beef meet) in a local fast-food, and found out that the region of Peja is renown for the mastery of lo-cals in cooking this type of food. Later we went to visit the Monastery of Peja, an Orthodox enclave safeguarded by KFOR soldiers and we came across an oasis of peace in the middle of a charming landscape.On our return way to Prishtina we stopped for a talk with the oldest member of the Rugova family, the uncle of the first president of Kosovo. It was probably the most impressive person I got to know during the study trip, as he had extensive life experi-ence after surviving two wars and a several political regimes. Thus he had so many breathtaking stories to tell, such a good memory despite the age and also well-informed opinions, so he could answer any type of question we posed during the meeting.

Doris Manu

MITROVICA

MIIt is a foggy white morning in Pris-tina when we depart for Mitrovica. On the way I feel a certain anxiety. I had been looking forward to this visit for

tion pointing out the overlapping work of many of the NGOs (local and inter-national) active in the region which unfortunately contributes to a rather dysfunctional environment. This, in addition to the preeminent role of EULEX, KFOR and other authorities operating under a quasi-governmental mandate, which by and large excludes citizens from decision-making pro-cesses. This is a crucial fact for the work and objectives of M-Magazine. They all agree that the ultimate goal is to encourage active citizenship by compromising the needs of the people and the agendas of the various deci-sion-making institutions. An indispen-sible part of this is to encourage inter-communal dialogue between the two sides of Mitrovica. I am astonished by the dynamics of the conversation. In a small blue room in Mitrovica the local and the global collide and make way for the local-local that has the ability to set both aside and speak for the real people in the way that some Geneva-conceived, Brussels- approved and Washington-implemented peacemak-ing initiative has failed to do. Finally, everyones thoughts (I hope) are summarised by a tall boy with a moustache who is rushing to leave because he has an exam but has ear-lier declared that a university degree is simply a backup plan because he plans to join the military academy: We can change the world if we can change ourselves (sic).

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The river divides Mitrovica in two sides and three bridges serve for crossing. We opted for a smaller bridge that is not guarded by KFOR soldiers. I re- member getting the same vertigo I feltlast summer when for the first time I crossed the UN buffer zone in Cyprus capital, Nicosia. It was the guilty feeling you get when you break the rules and realise that its actually pretty harmless. At first sight, north-ern Mitrovica is definitely messier.

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tival of colours, diversity, opulence, beauty. It represents freedom of ex-pression. It is a promised land, a new Utopia, a lollipop...Of course Draculic writes before the war, before even Kosovo was con-ceived as a separate state. Not much has changed, and as one after the other countries of the former Yugo-slavia are following their respective European paths, Kosovo is defining its own. How it is doing this we had the privilege to hear first hand during a visit to the government. Sat around a large wooden table, three men in suits- all high officials of the Ministry of European integration- explained to us the plan step by step. There are four principal reformation pillars towards a visa-free regime: Reintegration of re-admitted persons; changes in border control; introduc-tion of anti-corruption policy; and fi-nally, elimination of organised crime. They seem very confident. There is no alternative route, they say. Kosovo has got to join the European Union. They patently answer all our ques-tions, they shake our hands, we have a picture taken with the Kosovo flag on the background and we hit the streets of Pristina for one more time. On the same day we visited at least two NGOs, entirely run by people be-low the age of 30. There is potential in Kosovo and it should not remain unexploited. Europe has a lot to gain from such a hard-working people. Of course these are hard times: theres insecurity, financial instability and so-cial turbulence. Isolation or relapsingin violence are certainly not an option. Europe is to Kosovo the only viable path. It was probably the most impres-sive person I got to know during the study trip, as he had extensive life ex-perience after surviving two wars and a several political regimes. Thus he had so many breathtaking stories to tell, such a good memory despite the age and also well-informed opinions, so he could answer any type of ques-tion we posed during the meeting.

Elena Georgalla

Most carsack a license plate, theres construction work going on, and large Serbian flags flying between tall con-crete buildings the walls of which are covered with posters of Russian poli-ticians. It is possible to detect some previously existent continuity with the other half of the city, which, however, has been viciously and suddenly inter-rupted. Our visit is short. Nevertheless, we have enough time to immerse our-selves into what turns out to be an ex-traordinary place. Schools out for the day it seems and we get to talk to a lot of teenagers. Everyone is obviously affected by the division. The story they hear is the same everyone does; that one that perpetuates hate and nation-alism. At least thats the image I got. I know exactly how that feels, I know how its done. I was raised with it. I have always been told that beyond the border of my own country dwells a na- tion of barbarians. They have hurt us and we should always hate them for that. Of course, my view is that the situation of Cyprus -politically speak-ing- is different to that large glass windows Mitrovica with its brown roofs and its minarets is inviting you to ex-plore her. Time flew by and the dusk had fallen by the time we finished our long talk with the crowd that had arrived to meet us: patrons of the library, the owners, artists, the director of the Mi-trovica ethnographic museum.

Elena Georgalla

PRISHTINA

Draculic writes in Cafe Europa: What does Europe mean in the East-ern European imagination? It is cer-tainly not a matter of geography, for in those terms we are already in and need make no effort to reach it. It is something distant, something to be attained, to be deserved. It is also something expensive and fine: good clothes, the certain look and smell of people. Europe is plenitude: food, cards, light, everything a kind of fes-

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/// INCREASING KNOWLEDGE

A selection of articles written during the

trip.

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literature, explains: It has become quite common to see one selling cigarettes on the corner of a street or serving macchiato in a caf. Every-body is trying to make a decent living, sometimes you have to give up your dreams or at least sacrifice yourself for a while. The reasons, concerning education and employment, are to be found in History. Back in the early 90s, we, Albanian, were kicked out of schools and universities by the Serbian au-thorities Besa Luzha, pianist, teacher and social activist, explains: We were giving classes at home, in garages Our educative system lost its efficien-cy then. Then came the war and the independence, and we had to start all over again. Students also had to start all over as Eli (it is an alias). She is 30 and has decided to start studying two years ago: With the war, I could not enter a university. Since then, I have not be able to find a good job. I chose to study to become a schoolteacher. It really interests me and I think it is also a key field for the future of the country.Kosovo government is trying to help improving education standards and employment rates by giving scholar-ships. On the one hand, it helps young-sters whose families have economic difficulties to afford going to school (one semester at a public university costs at least 50 euros). On the other hand, these youngsters have to work afterwards for the government dur-ing three years, which helps fighting unemployment. In 2011, 47 scholar-ships were given in a program backed by the European Union. _BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY

With education and high unemploy-ment, we are here approaching what seem to be the 2 main worries for Kosovo students. Plenty of them are observing a current situation: If you want to get a job, you have to know someone!. And by someone, they refer to politi-

A SACRIFICED GENERATION

They represent 50% of Kosovos popu-lation and surely are an advantage as the rest of Europe is aging. Though, they are affected by a high unemploy-ment rate. In a country that is trying to rebuild itself, everybody wants a piece of the cake and it might just be that Kosovos youth will be sacrificed for the sake of Kosovos future. On the 17th of February 2012, Koso-vo celebrated the fourth birthday of its self-declared independence. Since 2008, or shall we say since the end of the war, Kosovos authorities have been trying to rebuild and reorganize the country. And it is a mammoth task when you look at it! One of the challenges Prishtin/Prishtina (in Albanese/Latin Serb) is facing is getting the youngsters to work. This is, you could say, some-thing every other government has to work on. Though, in Kosovo, this is-sue takes a totally different turn when you look at the numbers: the youth between 18 and 30 represent half of Kosovos total population! This makes Kosovo the youngest country in Europe. However, its situation is not idyllic. The unemployment rate con-cerning those younger than 25 years old goes through the roof: 73% follow-ing the 2011 EU progress report.

_GETTING DOWN BY SMALL JOBS

On the bus from Kosovos capital to the city of Prizren, two friends sit at the back. They are about nineteen and are not really confident about how bright the future might look: I am working in my family firm; we have been working in the electronic business for ages. But right now, the situation is really bad and there is not much work for us. Therefore I have to work in a cafete-ria where I earn 150 euros a month. This example is one of many all-around Kosovo. And living on the Alba-nian or the Serb side does not change anything. Worse is the case of those having a master degree but strugglinganyway as Patrick, student in French

cians. This state of mind reflects a paradox. On one side, Young Kosovo are less politicised than we use to be Besa Luzha analyses. Though, on the other side: More and more young-sters are entering political parties. Especially those living outside Prishti-n/Prishtina Vedat Jashari, head of division for youth policy development, points out. Voting for and backing up politicians has become a way to enter the professional life. A so called good option when you hear that economi-cally, in two years, Kosovo will be back at its level from 1989. But is this young generation a sacri-ficed generation? Besa Luzha and Ve-dat Jashari agree: It is a harsh and strong observation. You might just say that our generation (the 30 to 50 years old) was also a scarified genera-tion. We suffered the occupation and and the warBetween dreams and reality, there is a real gap that many might not be able to fill in. And this, for the sake of Koso-vos future and stability.

Damien Roulette

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dynamic population is listed as one of the most determining factors. Given the long international presence, as well as the returning wave of young people who migrated during the 1990s, English is widely spoken and nearly an official language. Overall, the people are the true force. Another cardinal reason included in the list is the existence of a competi-tive, flexible and well-skilled labour. Considering that Kosovo is amongst the worlds primary remittances re-ceiver, one cannot question the dedi-istence of a young, educated, multilin-gual and dynamic population is listed as one of the most determining fac-tors. Given the long international pres-ence, as well as the returning wave of young people who migrated during the 1990s, English is widely spoken and nearly an official language. Overall, the people are the true force. Another cardinal reason included in the list is the existence of a competi-tive, flexible and well-skilled labour. Considering that Kosovo is amongst the worlds primary remittances re-ceiver, one cannot question the dedi-cation and work ethic of the Kosovar people. Other factors to be taken into consideration are the use of the Euro as the official state currency, a mod-ern legislation system compatible to EU standards, low tax burden, and modern business support institutions. Therefore, unlike the disheartening conditions in many other European countries that discourage investment, Kosovo could provide an exciting, vi-able, and unexplored alternative. Central to the efforts of building a sus-tainable Kosovo is the insistence on ensuring that there is always space for private initiative to thrive. Young entre-preneurs from Gjakova to Mitrovica and from Pristina to Prizren need to be guaranteed the freedom and support to undertake new projects that bear the potential to boost the economy, combat unemployment and attract for-eign and native investment. A crucial step towards this direction is to clearly outline the sectors of the economy into which individual initia-

MAINTAINING ECONOMIC HAPPYNESS

To invest in Kosovo is to invest in life. Kosovo might as well present an un-precedented case in the chronicles of Europe. There is so much optimism in such a small place that to ignore it would be to ignore the immense poten-tial of an entire generation. Home of the youngest population in Europe, it is also the home of a thriving commu-nity of young people, entrepreneurs, professionals, innovators, artists, and scientists. From the ancient streets of Prizren to the modern cafe districts of Prishtina, one can feel the positive en-ergy in every heart beat and in every smile. Kosovo is a land of great paradoxes. Despite an appalling 47% unemploy-ment rate, the sense that nothing is impossible is prominent. Whatever young Kosovars aspire, they believe they can achieve. There is poten-tial on the ground waiting to flourish. Kosovo can act as a shining beckon of hope for the future in the midst of the financial insecurity and gloom that is devastating the rest of Europe. The ideological battle has already been won: there is idealism, there is will, and there is youth. There is also the determination to work hard and to set no limits. It is the material battle that is still on. Lack of infrastructure, corruption, strict visa restrictions all pose severe limitations to the development of a fruitful Kos-ovar economy. However, it is possible to overcome the obstacles. It will cer-tainly take time, but most importantly it will take faith in a youthful and aspir-ing population. In fact, if there is one lesson the rest of the world should learn from Kosovo is simply that hap-piness is not measured in GDP.In an attempt to encourage foreign in-vestment ECIKS (Economic Initiative Kosovo) has produced a comprehen-sive list of ten reasons why the country is an attractive investing destination. Beyond its central location in the very heart of the Balkans, the ex istence of a young, educated, multilingual and

tive can penetrate and establish itself. A crucial step towards this direction is to clearly outline the sectors of the economy into which individual initia-tive can penetrate and establish itself. Areas with immense potential that re-main largely unexploited are tourism, telecommunications, agriculture, edu-cation, healthcare, energy (and partic-ularly alternative sources of energy), hospitality, and retail. State support is essential, yet state intervention should remain controlled and limited in order to es cape corruption. Everyone loves a newborn. And for the sake of Europes youngest children it is vital that the full economic poten-tial of Kosovo is fulfilled with respect to a sustainable future, environmen-tal preservation, and overall welfare, prosperity, and happiness. Europe would turn her back at Kosovo at her own peril. The last thing she needs is another lost generation...

Elena Georgalla

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with really great people, places to visit and stories to hear. You will not regret!

Blerta Zogiani

A POTENTIAL SILLICON VALLEY FOR EUROPE?

Kosovo is one of the youngest coun-tries in the world, young because its largest share of the population is un-der 25years old. apparently the min-istry of education, culture and sports even lowered the age rate defined as young to those between 15-24 years old, in order to handle the otherwise too large share of the population be-ing applicable to funding opportuni-ties. This is a dream, which does not apply to any other country of Europe.Kosovos young population now has the dream to somehow show the world its potential. Without visa liberalization and investment by foreign companies in Kosovo, this is rather a nightmare than a dream. While Western Europe lacks young en-trepreneurs and innovators, Kosovo is actually having an overlap. Well edu-cated people who are forced to work as taxi-drivers or do yet another study because no job opportunities are giv-en in regard to their potential. Imagine any other place in Europe where on a relatively small space over one million young people live together which could nurture each others abili-ties, having a high level of education and the willingness to be innovative and motivated to do something for their country. Most young people in Kosovo are attracted to study Busi-ness, economics or technical engi-neering (numbers). This is a phenomenon, basically a high amount of well educated young people you could just pick from a tree to fit wherever people are needed in their qualifying jobs, which are lack-ing in the rest of Europe. Neverthe-less, instead of taking this population apart, why not trying to use it to build a cradle for innovation and technologi-cal development in Europe? A silicon valley in Europe, increasing Europes

PRISHTINA, THE CITY OF FASHION DIVERSITY

Being in Prishtina is a great opportu-nity to watch fashion diversity, starting from an antique one, to a postmodern. Since the war, this capital city of the little and new country, Kosova, is try-ing to be a cultural center, with a very rich and unique night life for the region and beyond. Despite the isolation, visa non-liberalization, our country is breaking the boundaries with a hard commitment to bring a new spirit in our midst.Starting from December, the weather in Prishtina was very cold. Based on some statistics about the weather, this winter is one of the coldest in 25 last years. Despite this factor, the street style in Prishtina is a great one. During the day it is predominated by commodious wearings, mostly jeans, sweaters, big scarfs, coats or gloss jackets. Unlike the day, the nights, with a lot of activities in our nightclubs that are so many in Prishtina, you can see a totally different dressing. Some-times you may forget that we are fac-ing with these low temperatures. You can encounter girls with cocktail dresses, colorful wearings, crazy com-binations through to those who even during the nights, preserving their sim-plicity, with jeans and a slight tone of make-up.To describe men fashion its easier than for women, but not less elegant. You can find a good style there too. During the day jeans and sweaters are common, while the nights are char-acterized by pants eventually jeans, shirts, coats and scarfs, from the sim-plests to those specials. If we make a compare the style be-tween people in Prishtina and other cities people style, we will find a dif-ference. This comes as a result of fi-nancial situations and variety of bou-tiques. Anyway, in general, kosovars fashion is a good one.So, these few words were just for an introduction with Prishtinas day and night fashion. If you find anything inter-esting, come and be part of this life,

world competitiveness in computation-al technology or engineering, compet-ing more with the US and China, what an opportunity! The geographical location of Kosovo is rather the intimidating point in the equation, located in Eastern Europe closer to Russia in a region which is basically known only for its conflicts, wars and melting pot of Europe. A poor region which is actually enor-mously rich in natural resources and open for a new economic market, why could this region not actually be the future for Europe but also turn into a stabilizing factor? And not only this, Kosovo shadows a future picture for young people, there you can find a larger amount of young women eager to study technological sciences. For example, the share of young wom-en in electrical engineering is com-paratively high in contrast to the rest of Europe. Regarding the still exist-ing tension in the region, economical prosperity shared between the nations of the Western Balkans could actually lead to a Union merging into a com-mon market forcing the states to co-operate more in terms of economic development and thus hindering war. It would give not only the Western Bal-kan countries an opportunity, no also Greece, Romania and Bulgaria could profit from this rising possibility. To be honest Western Europe is dying craving for new technological centers. Why not merge the century long knowl-edge for technology and sciences and the new enthusiasm to create some-thing new? Why not use Europes full potential? Why not finally sharing the knowledge with everyone in Europe? Indeed this is probably the only way Eu-rope can still have a voice in the world, if it finally recognizes that Europe is not only the West but actually also the East. Without real opportunities, this blossoming tree of opportunity is soon another opportunity not taken by Europe as a whole. In the end being in the European Union, being equal should be taken seriously and giving young people in Kosovo and I mean of both ethnicities,

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milk, it is definitively not a latte mac-chiato, again not enough milk, it is probably a blend of all and something else, something special, it is Kosovar hospitality and heartwarming charm covered with a leaf or heart on top.

Stephanie Harfensteller

Albanian and Serbian, the opportunity to gain from economic development, giving them the opportunity to create something new, to contribute with a comparative advantage to Europe can only be positive for the sustainable development of Europe in the world.

Stephanie Harfensteller

THE MYSTERY OF THE MACCHIATO

It sounds and looks Italian but surely this is something you can only find in Kosovo. Not only because of its taste which is wonderful, soft, warm and strong at the same time, but also be-cause of its cultural meaning behind it. It is a taste which allows you to un-derstand Kosovo Lifestyle. When visiting Kosovo for the first time, it is a mystery to find bars and cafs always full of people. A country suf-fering of poverty and high unemploy-ment, with its people not having a clear perspective for the future yet and are still hurt by the wounds of the war. Nevertheless, a pride not taken away from them is the pride to drink a mac-chiato, even if you only have 50cents left, a Kosovar buys a macchiato. By the end of a typical day, I would say I consumed at least four macchiato. We even had a participant who ended up sleepless because of Macchiato overconsumption.You cannot have a conversation in Kosovo without a mac-chiato, business, family life, politics, history, war, has to be accompanied by a macchiato. This is simply because, resisting to talk about subjects, is not possible if you have a lovely macchiato in front of you. When you are invited for a meet-ing or discussion round, the first ques-tion will always be macchiato? and its again a wonderful sign of Kosovos culture: its hospitality. You simply cannot turn down an offer for a macchiato. But what is a macchi-ato? Its not a cappuccino, not enough milk and much stronger and smaller, its not an espresso because it has milk but also not an espresso with

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/// AFTER KOSOVO

All good things come to an end, even our won-

derful time in Kosovo.

I think all of us agree that Kosovo left a

significant impression, giving us the chance

to develop our views on the world further.

With our different political perspectives,

different study backgrounds and cultural di-

versity, we still come to one common conclu-

sion: Visa liberalization is not a question,

its a necessity.

These following three reports will shed some

light on the different influences Kosovo had

on us.

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Albanians in a vigorous call for inter- communal cooperation. In addition, Kosovo Youth Initiative and Kosovar Stability Initiative are both particularly remarkable for their work on producing policy recommendations addressing pressing issues such as gender equal-ity and human rights, and analysing the political landscape of Kosovo in general. There were of course many more very notable groups - many more than we could possibly include in a weeks visit - all together forming an extremely di-verse and formidable amalgam of ini-tiatives for change, mainly pioneered by young people. Nevertheless, there is also the bad news. Civil society activities are hal-tered by the structures that sustain corruption. Corruption is omnipotent and elusive. No one is to blame for it and yet everyone is at fault. Lots of ink and time have been wasted on efforts to combat it, to terminate it, to somehow track its source and the mechanisms that sustain it. I can only think that it endures simply because of the lack of viable alterna-tives in the political realm or because it has the ability to reproduce itself. Moreover, another issue that seems to contribute to a dysfunctional environ-ment is the simultaneous existence of too many actors on the ground, the works and agendas of which usually overlap, and consequently leading to anything but the desired outcomes. Certainly, the country depends largely on international donors who establish peacemaking missions on the ground in an attempt to supervise democrati-sation and development. However, too much dependence on such entities excludes citizens from crucial aspects of decision-making and evidently harms the development of active citizenship. After all, they are based on a fundamental fallacy: De-velopment is blocked by the (urgent) need for institutions that support de-velopment. One important lesson that agents of statebuilding should have learnt so far is the essential prerequi-site of institutionalisation before de-

ON KOSOVO: THOUGHTS AFTER A JOURNEY

I set a task to myself in my initial re-port: to search for genuine civil society in Kosovo. Retrospectively, the study trip was very well suited for my mission. In my view, our encoun-ters and expeditions gave us a rather extensive insight into the diversity of interacting forces on the ground, draw-ing from all global, local, and local-local actors. On the course of seven days, we found ourselves conversing with government officials in Pristina, KFOR peacekeepers on the border-line, NGO employees and volunteers, journalists, artists, academics, eth-nographers, war veterans, entrepre-neurs, students, workers, strollers, Albanians, Serbs, foreigners, men and women. Overall, Kosovo left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. There is immense po-tential in terms of human resources, education, skills, motivation and inno-vative ideas. However, most remains unexploited, boycotted by the lack of the necessary infrastructure, the elu-sive omnipotence of corruption, and the perpetuation of narratives that confine productive dialogue between the two communities. The good news is that I did find what I was looking for. As far as civil society,in the sense of non-government led initiatives aiming to influence policy for a particular cause or to mobilise civil participation, is concerned, then Kosovo hosts a plethora of it. What is particularly striking to me, is that these groups are active not solely in the administrative centre of Pristina but constitute an equally formidable force across the country from north to south. Amongst our most notable encounters I would include 7ARTE is Mitrovica which aims to promote the arts and culture and to preserve the intellec-tual and artistic heritage of Kosovo devastated by the war, as well as M-Magazine, also based in Mitrovica, a vivid community of aspiring journalists merging the voices of both Serbs and

mocratisation. Furthermore, albeit it being an exag-geration to argue that people do not value the work of entities such as EU-LUX, their credibility is becoming rath-er doubtful as it intervenes and handi-caps internally-led initiatives. And then of course, there is the issue of visas. Visa and borders, both an anathema for the government in Pristina and a nemesis for Kosovar entrepreneur-ship, art, education and overall prog-ress.I tend to be critical of everything. It is both a curse and a blessing. But given the immense potential of Kosovo, the youth of its population and the deter-mination to build a prosperous and sustainable future, being critical and self-reflexive is ofparamount impor-tance. The Newborn has just started taking its first baby steps and it is crucial that the issue of terminology is dealt with sooner than later. The government should listen to its people and define in advance what develop-ment means for Kosovo, what de-mocracy is most suitable for Kosovo, what institutions have to be estab-lished, and on what resources should the Kosovar economy be built on. It is somehow a project of cultural rela-tivism. What is needed in Kosovo , like in any other post conflict environment, is fur-ther ethnographic research and better valuing of internal initiatives and pro-posals. All the above might seem rather ar-bitrary and subjective, but I am after all writing from my very own personal perspective, from the standpoint of a student of international relations and social anthropology who growing up in Cyprus has witnessed firsthand a simi-lar situation of territorial division and ethnic hostility. To me, the distinguishing point about the situation in Kosovo as far as the aftermath of the conflict is concerned is that it has never come to a stale-mate. Never did the actors involved in the dispute allow for the conflict to be refrigerated. In the course of a de-cade, a vicious war ended, an interna-

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ders of the Union. This is why visa lib-eralisation is so crucial. So that Kosovar citizens can trav-el with dignity, so that Kosovo can be seen as an ally and not another source of unwanted migrants. One of the pillars of policy towards a visa-free regime is thereintegration of readmitted citizens. Kosovo is currently the sixth largest receiver of remittances in the world, and has one of Europes highest un-employment rates. Citizens need mo-tivations to stay in Kosovo and help rebuild it. Combating unemployment is indeed a priority but this has to go hand in hand with improving (or even creating from scratch) infrastructure, supporting local entrepreneurs, pro-moting innovation, and generally gal-vanising a local, self-sustained, and flexible market. Money needs to flow into the country from other sources, as dependence on international do-nors cannot continue indefinitely. For-eign investment should be invited, and the full potential of areas such as tourism, agriculture, and alternative energy resources should be fulfilled.Meanwhile, sensitive factors that di-rectly affect sustainability, such as environmental preservation should be seen as priorities for both the govern-ment and civil society. SinceKosovo is being entirely reconstructed there is the luxury to include such is-sues in the development agenda and eventually make Kosovo a shining ex-ample of statebuilding. Moreover, on the civil and social level I am in favour of a multi-dimensional multi-vocal approach that advocates the broken-down resolution of issues, and that is binding to both government and civil society. The agenda should feature human rights, gender equality, persistent and constructive dialogue with Serbia, and the representation of minorities. However, the objective should not be to satisfy Europe or any other patronis-ing international entity. The ultimate goal is to work for the benefit of the people of Kosovo and it is towards this end that it is vital to encourage

tional government was established re-ceived by varied internal and external reactions, independence was granted, and now a referendum takes place in the north. Never were the people of Kosovo given the time to fall into po-litical apathy, and given that most of them are very young they have the po-tential to unleash change. What they lack is the resources, and even beyond that, they are denied fun-damental human rights, particularly freedom of movement. With regards to this, my views on visa liberalisa-tion have only been enhanced by my experience in Kosovo and once more I shall retreat in repeating the oxymo-ron underlying neoliberal globalisa-tion: if capital, money, information, ideas and knowledge should all flow freely across the globe, then why not people?At this point I feel the need to point out one shortfall which was indeed detected by all the participants of the trip: the lack of the Serbian perspec-tive. This should be taken into consid-eration for future projects. Establish-ing inter-communal dialogue sounds like another old-fashioned peacemak-ing clich. Yet its indispensible, and indeed, not that simple. Of course it would take more than the work of a western humanitarian organisation. It should be advocated from within. Edu-cation is the key. We tend to forget how nations are nothing but imagined communities, and that identities are malleable de-pending on the political narratives they are subjected to. It will take a lot of effort, but a sustainable Kosovo would not want the future generations to inherit hate and hostility. After all, a little goodwill could go a long way. I might not be the right person to do that- I dont even hold a degree yet. Nevertheless, I feel obliged to make some recommendations. In terms of its international affairs, Kosovo should by all means avoid isolation-ism. It should avoid victimisation, be-coming another war-shattered state, It will take more engagement with the international system beyond the bor-

active citizenship.People- the electorate- should never feel disconnected from decision-mak-ing processes.On the contrary, they hould be given the freedom to voice their demands themselves. Certainly, I understand that all these are long term goals. However, this is exactly what suggests their urgency. At the same time, there are no easy paths towards achieving these objectives. Modernising educa-tion is one essential strategy, perhaps not enough, but yet a good place to start.It is very likely that I got it all wrong. I amrather sceptical of using the word should too often. It is possible that I saw everything from the perspective of a young starry-eyed idealist who wish-es to produce an optimistic account. But I feel like this is the only approach I can take. Kosovo captivated me and I surrendered. I fell for the kindness of its people, the genuine, effortless and heart-warming hospitality, its sweet coffee-flavoured afternoons, its ancient river bank towns... Kosovo taught me that it is still possi-ble to believe in the power of the peo-ple, that life is precious just because its so fragile, and that happiness is not measured in GDP... With this thoughts, I leave the last words to Slavenka Draculic: Perhaps the difference between yesterday and today lies in the hope that history wont be for much longer a toy in the hands of a powerful few. When directly faced with the question of personal re-sponsibility, a person cannot view his-tory as a series of incomprehensible acts of a leader or a government. Eventually he must understand that it also depends on what he himself says and does... (Cafe Europa: Life after Communism).

Elena Georgalla

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people in Kosovo, though a great ma-jority of them say it wants to go back home afterwards. They want to use this European experience as a tool to rebuild their country. Brussels is clear-ly considered as an opportunity. Many times, university students ex-plained that their visa application (for instance for Belgium) had been turned down without any sort of explana-tion. For example, the case of these students who won an essay contest which prize was an internship at Think Youngs office in Brussels. This kind of situation affects youngKosovars; making them doubtful about what can the EU bring to them.Though, despite some disappoint-ments, many see the EU as the key for Kosovos future. European institu-tions are considered as the ones able to normalize the relations with Bel-grade. Moreover, some think the Euro-pean Union will carry the weight of the reconstruction. Kosovos hopes are henceforth oriented towards Europe, towards integration. An integration that will have to com-pose with Serbia, there is no choice for Prishtin/Prishtina. Another key for the future will be the interior integra-tion: the relations between Serbs and Albanians. The wounds are still open and it will take time before the hu-man and political tensions are eased. Though, we have to notice a slight dif-ference between the 18 to 25 years old and their parents on this issue. To the question: Would you be able to marry a Serb? The main answer was a very shy Yes. A response very quickly followed by: But my parents would not accept it at all The remi-niscences of the war are unavoidable and are visible in every political as-pects of Kosovos daily life.If the visa liberalization now seems getting closer for Kosovo (talks be-tween Brussels and Prishtin/Prishti-na have opened in January), there isstill a long way to go for the EU inte-gration. But among young people the belief in a brighter future is important.

Damien Roulette

FINAL REPORT ON THINKYOUNGS STUDY TRIP IN KOSOVO

In one week, the study trip organised by Think Young took us all around Koso-vo: Prishtin/Prishtina (in Albanese/Latin Serb), where we were staying in a homestay family, Prizren, Pej/Pec and Mitrovic/Kosovoska Mitrovica. We had the opportunity to meet high school and university students, teach-ers, government representatives and youngsters getting by to make a living. Though, if we had the opportunity to walk around the north part of Mitro-vic/Kosovoska Mitrovica, it is honest to say nothing was arranged to meet Serbs from Kosovo. This asks two questions: was it impossible? Or, the fact that many Serbs from Kosovo do not recognized Prishtin/Prishtinas institutions have made Think Young believe it was not worthwhile. Nevertheless, the different meetings were culturally very interesting as our interlocutors were from different ori-gins, backgrounds and age. The proj-ect was based on collaboration be-tween Think Young and the Uni Group Junior Enterprise, a group of Albanian Kosovo young studying at the American University in Kosovo. That was a rich collaboration for the young students that we were since it allowed us to be all the time with locals. Among all the people we have met, the will to go for-ward in the rebuilding of Kosovo was prevalent. Though many questions are still unanswered about how to fight unemployment, what is the best way to normalize the situation with Serbia and how to get northern Kosovo under Prishtin/Prishtinas authority. One possibility that has come many times on the table is the visa liberal-ization. It seems this could be a step forward on the path towards the Eu-ropean Union; on the road to equality towards the other Balkan countries; on the way for a better future. Many youngsters and students are confused concerning the current situ-ation, which they consider as a handi-cap. The lust for European experience is enormous among young people in

LOOKING INTO THE RELIGIOUS FACE OF KOSOVO

_INTERFAITH RELATIONS

The religious diversity is visible all over Kosovo, with many mosques, Catholic churches and Orthodox mon-asteries dispersed in the territory. But faith does not play a central role in the lives of the people, especially of the young who grew up in a secular state.Since Kosovars do not put too much emphasis on religion, the religious differences are not an issue. As Alba-nians were originally Catholics but a large number of them became Mus-lims during the previous centuries, now inter religious friendships mar-riages and are socially accepted.

_INTERECTING RELATIONS

The nature of interethnic relations is extremely complicated in the whole Balkan region, and particularly in Kosovo. Although many scholars con-clude that ethnicity is socially con-structed and must not be an obstacle for peaceful relations between com-munities, the groups living in the Bal-kans have developed a strong ethnic and national identity over the centu-ries. This and many other factors have brought the region to prolonged con-flict and war, from which is still strug-gling to recover.

Despite the existence of several ethnic groups living in the territory of Kosovo, the main communities viewed as op-posing each other are Serbs and Al-banians as they were fighting against each other in the war. Yet twelve years after the war, the unresolved problem concerning the recognition of Koso-vos independence and Serbias ob-jection to it is a cause for the persis-tence of the tensions between these two groups.In Kosovo, different versions of histo-ry and incompatible narratives are still visible not only in everyday conversa-tions and media reports, but also in history textbooks and education sys-

29

plan has been implemented, exceptthe provision that relates to the cre-ation of a municipality in Northern Mitrovica. The current developments that came as a result of the interna-tional pressure indicate that the con-flict is not to remain frozen and that the solution is to be found soon.

_THE COMMON BALKAN IDENTITY

The communities that constitute Kosovo have to understand that they share the same past and have a com-mon future and common interests.Not only here, but all over the coun-tries that emerged after the break-up of Yugoslavia and the SEE communist block, there are obvious displays of a common Balkan identity despite the conflicts between different groups. There is a common cultural identity that these states share, and Kosovo enters the group because its official languages are Albanian as in Albania and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS) as in other ex-Yugoslav countries. Kosovo also has a similar architec-ture, music and cuisine as other Bal-kan countries; and the geographic proximity and history made possible that people have similar mentality and social practices, very different from those in other parts of Europe.Thus there is a need for re-establish-ing normal relations between the res-pective countries and nations. But genuine reconciliation would be hard to achieve if the past is not seriously dealt with, and refusing to confront the past is often justified through an overly-simplistic strategy of forgive and forget.

Doris Manu

tems.Therefore, Kosovo needs to fight an-other enemy, one that has no particu-lar nationality, religious, cultural or political background it is the emer-gence of homogeneous thought and dogmatism, impermeable to dialogue with anyone else perceived to be out-side the lucky tribe, and built around rigid understandings of identity and of enmity.

_THE MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Can we talk of Kosovo as of a multicul-tural state? Surprisingly, in this small territory there are six ethnic groups, each symbolized by a star on the 2008 adopted flag. These are Albanians,Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Gorani and the group of Roma/Egyptians/Ashkali.After the independence was declared in 2008, Kosovo had the unique chance to build a secular and multicul-tural society. For that reason, the pres-sure from the international communityimposed as the main goal for the gov-ernment to be the implementation of the provisions from the Ahtisaari plan regarding minorities and the avoid-ance of separation along ethnic lines.The government made progress in the legal implementation of these provi-sions, so in the new constitution of Kosovo the minorities are defined as communities and enjoy extensive rights and privileges. The government also took the responsibility to get passed through the parliament a reso-lution that would adopt the measure for improvement of minority conditions and dealing with the past.Overall, 2 million Euros have been in-vested in the implementation of the Ahtisaari plan related to communities. As a result of the process of decentral-ization, the government has created some municipalities composed mainly of minorities (Graanica, Novo Brdo, etc.). Although this has apparently improved the life of the people and calmed the tension, it has resulted in ethnic segregation which might have adverse effects in the future.At this point, 95% of the Ahtisaari

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Argentina, Zeqiri adds.She describes the procedure for ob-taining visas for artistic reasons as complicated and time-consuming, in-volving collection of millions of doc-uments. The work of the artist can often be introduced without the artist being present, but being present is important because it often gives rise to new contacts and projects in which Kosovo can participate, she contin-ues.Playwright Doruntina Basha said she has found the visa application process insulting. The visa application procesis very offensive. Dozens of docu-ments have to be submitted proving that the applicant is not a liar, and, more importantly, that he plans to re-turn home after the trip, Basha said. What artist is not going to return home? she asked.Arian Krasniqi, a playwright and cul-tural critic, believes Kosovos isolation has impoverished cultural life. Visa facilitation would promote the cultural and artistic life of our country, Kras-niqi said. Artists are not able to devel-op in these conditions. Albert Heta, co-founder and artistic director of the Stacion Center for Contemporary Art, in Pristina, agrees; Kosovos isolation and the absence of free movement have impacted on cultural life.The greatest impact is Kosovos feeling of isolation, which results from our inability to communicate with the world, Heta said. Alban Muja, a well-known Kosovar artist, has not himself faced difficulties in securing visas, but fears that others have been deprived of an important learning experience.For people dealing with creativity its almost impossible to aim to do something if freedom of movement is missing because you dont have the opportunity to see what is happening around the world, he said.Unfortunately, many of our young art-ists do not have the opportunities thattheir peers in any normal country have, and as a result they have very little information, Muja added.

ARTISTS LONG TO ESCAPE KOSOVO GHETTO

Kosovar artists hope that long-promised visa liberalisation with the European Union will help end their enforced isolation from European cul-ture. Kosovos unofficial status as Europes ghetto is a source of huge frustration for the countrys artists some of whom cant even attend their own foreign exhibitions because of visa requirements.Travel for citizens of the country that declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 remains difficult. Un-like nationals from neighbouring coun-tries, Kosovars need a visa to travel to European Union countries and are unable to visit some destinations be-cause their passports are not accept-ed there.Graphic designer Rrezeart Galica has twice had a visa application rejected as a result of which he had to pull out of exhibitions where his work was due to be displayed.In late 2009 I received an invitation from a cultural association in Paris to open an exhibition there, he recalled.I started completing the required doc-umentation to apply for a French visa. As the visit was related to a cultural activity, I thought it would to easy. I prepared almost all my 30 works, prin- ted about 200 posters and catalogues and was convinced that the visa would be given easily, but I was rejected, he added.I never thought that France, as a cra-dle of European culture, would be able to refuse me. Director Blerta Zeqiri, whose film last month won a prize at the prestigious US Sundance Festival, was unable to travel to a film festival in Egypt in 2003 because she could not get a visa.This problem means that Kosovar art-ists are often effectively barred from participating in international festi-vals or exhibitions, she says. There are places where it is very difficult to travel to, not only because of the visa but because they dont recognise the passport of Kosovo like Bosnia or

_TURNING FRUSTRATION INTO INSPIRATION

But some artists are turning this the-ory on its head, using Kosovos isola-tion as a paradoxical source of inspira-tion. When Galica was unable to travel to Paris for his exhibition, he decided to turn the experience and his feelings about it into an art work.I began thinking about a concept based on remembering the French re-jection that had ruined my exhibition. Many other artists had suffered the same fate, so given these facts and others related to Kosovo citizens, I de-cided my next concept in Berlin would touch on the visa liberalisation issue, he said.I asked others who had applied for visas to scan the rejection part, think-ing of doing something called JO M [No More].The concept was in a form that aimed to appeal to Europe to lift visas [on Kosovars], he added. Coincidentally, the exhibition opened two days before the EU started the dialogue on easing visas [for Kosovo], Galica noted.Other artists have worked on the same theme. A 2010 exhibition called White Wedding, featuring six Kos-ovar var artists Arta Agani, Artan Ba-laj, Arzana Kraja, Dafina Hajra, Lorik Sylejmani and Majlinda Lekmendi was a deliberate reference to the so-called White Schengen list.It is membership of this list that allows the nationals of a country to enter Eu-rope without visas. Balaj, one of the artists involved, told Balkan Insight that the message had been aimed at Brussels bureaucrats and appeared to work. The exhibition was received with great interest by the public, he noted.The audience was largely composed of decision-makers on Kosovo, Euro-pean Parliamentarians and represen-tatives of the diplomatic corps in Brus-sels.

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ISOLATED YOUNG EUROPEANS

Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008, joining the free world and becoming the worlds 193rd nation state. Its chosen path now is toward European integration, with a wish to become fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic family of democra-cies.Kosovo is home to the youngest pop-ulation in Europe, with an average age of 25.9. It is for this reason that Kosovos government launched an ad-vertsising campaign with the slogan Kosovo: the young Europeans. The irony, however, is that these young-sters are not free to meet the Europe they are supposed belong to!Although Kosovo has historically, cul-turally and socially been part of Eu-rope and is certainly one of the most pro-Western countries on the planet, it is consistently rebutted by the Eu-ropean Commission: when it comes to freedom of movement, Kosovos citizens are hugely isolated from the rest of Europe. There are a number of obstacles holding Kosovos residents back from the rest of Europe, includ-ing the fact that they face the highest rejection rate of all Balkan countries when applying for Schengen visas and that they are the only people in the Western Balkans who need visas to travel within their own region and EU countries.No visa is required to enter Kosovo and as a result, peoples from all over the world have settled in the country over the last decade. Yet free move-ment without a visa is only possible for Kosovars in five countries, which makes it the country with the highest level of visa restrictions imposed upon it in the world. Kosovo is followed by Afghanistan, whose citizens can travel visa-free to 20 countries, then Iraqi (23 countries) and Somalia (25 coun-tries).The visa regime has cultivated an en-vironment that disallows cultural ex-changes and youth development. The stifling black-listing from the Schengen area also discourages economic de

_GHETTO DOOR CRACKS OPEN?

Artists may not have to target EU of-ficials in such a deliberate manner in future.On January 19, Cecilia Malmstrom, European Commissioner for Home Af-fairs, visited Kosovo to announce the start of a dialogue on a visa liberalisa-tion process. If Kosovo meets a series of standards it will eventually become part of the EUs visa-free zone, Malm-strom confirmed.Heta says the change cannot come soon enough. Imagine that wed seenall the changes that have happened around the world; instead we have been in a ghetto all this time.We could have developed new ideas, won new prizes and made a differ-ence, Heta added. Muja says the pro-cess already has taken too long and there is no end in sight.The extension of this dialogue has damaged Kosovo artists and their progress. Our youngsters will be stuck for years to come.But others feel more optimistic. Pho-tographer Jetmir Idrizi says if the visa dialogue process succeeds, it will change the whole perspective of Koso-vo artists.Of course if this happens, it will be a beneficial change, he said.I hate the bureaucracy of the embas-sies. We will have the chance to ex-plore new cultures, see the works of others and integrate and this is the most beautiful thing that can happen to a ghettoized artistic scene, Idrizi added. Trina Gojani, an author and translator, feels likewise. Ive never been to Par-is but I love the story of Quasimodo in Notre Dame, and Ive never been to the Netherlands but would love to see where Van Gogh came from, she said. The only possibility for me to perceive the world right now is through books and movies, she adds.

Arbr Selmani

velopment and has negative impact on business relations in Kosovo. Entre-preneurs face difficult barriers to enter the Schengen Area, where they could discover potential business opportuni-ties. Kosovo has the lowest number of cooperation contracts with the EU member states in terms of student exchanges, worker mobility and other forms of experiences abroad. Without the opportunity to travel, the citizens of Kosovo develop skewed percep-tions of the outside world, based on media impressions and biased out-lets, which contributes to rising feelingof Kosovos isolation from the rest of Europe.It seems that when the European Commission states that the Balkans have European perspective, it does not refer to Kosovo. Few EU member states disagree on Kosovos indepen-dence, yet Kosovar residents of all ethnicities remain confined to a visa. This is, I believe, a serious problem for the European Unions interests in Western Balkans. Kosovo should be walking together with its neighbours to advance a common European future.It is absurd that in the 21st century there are two million people trapped living in the very heart of Europe. Hopefully, in the near future, the walls built around Kosovo will fall, the doors of Europe will open and will let these young Europeans in.

Rozafa Kelmendi

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hold the power and to decide to be-come more involved in the new politi-cal run that unofficially started today.In the end it is the active involvement of people, especially of young people in the political process, which could enable change in Kosovo. They still have to understand that the right to vote especially in a crucial moment of the history of a country is in real-ity a responsibility and should be con-sidered as such by all people who are eligible to vote. Democracy and con-stitutionalism in a free independent Kosovo and even the independence ofKosovo is not a given. People have to fight for them each day. As observer of the developments in Kosovo, I can only hope that young people will un-derstand their role and will undertake their commitment accordingly.In the meantime Kosovo will be run by the first female young president who has put Kosovos integration in the European Union as a priority for her presidency. As a professional Atifete Jahjaga brings with her long experi-ence in defending the public order and respecting the institutions, as a young woman she has the chance to bring a fresh perspective into the political in-stability of the past years. Perhaps not deliberately, but by her being a suc-cessful president, Atifete Jahjaga can also seize the tremendous opportuni-ty to inspire more young and talented female professionals to enter a politi-cal career which might finally cause a highly needed mentality change in Kosovos politics and society.

Lindita Komani

EX YU. WESTERN BALKANS: LOOKING AT THE PAST TO BETTER FACE THE FUTURE

Civil society organizations in the for-mer Yugoslav republics are united by one goal: face the truth about the past. In a quest for one million sig-natures within six weeks, more than 1,500 associations and individuals from all nations of former Yugoslavia have joined forces in a project billed

A YOUNG FEMALE PRESIDENT FOR KOSOVO

Kosovo finally got a new president who has the support of the majority of the deputies of the parliament. Her name is Atifete Jahjaga. She is 36 years old, made a strong career in the Kosovo police force for the past 11 years and never thought to undertake a political commitment up to the point when she was put forward as a candidate in the framework of the discussions that took place among three political par-ties, PDK, LDK and AKR.Many questions rise on how and why this decision was met, whether the young female and politically inexperi-enced president will be able to meet peoples expectations in this troubled period of Kosovos politics. Many doubts can be crossed while reading the comments of readers on the web portals of Kosovar newspapers but at the same time also many appraisals. The dissatisfaction of the people who voted Vetvendosja seems to meet the satisfaction of the rest of the pop-ulation who was looking for a compro-mise among the political forces.The political crisis that Kosovo has experienced in the past months which started (long) before the parliamen-tary elections of the end of 2010 and escalated up to the unconstitutional election of the president on February 23, 2011, seems to have now reached a turnaround. In the months to come the political parties will work on con-stitutional and electoral reforms and will prepare the path for new parlia-mentary and presidential elections.The young leaders of Vetvendosja, a party which since shortly merged with the other new political entry of last year, FER, will have the opportunity to show their commitment and gain more support while following the path of defending the interests of Kosovos people and economy also in the par-liament. In the meantime the people, especially young people of Kosovo, have the opportunity to become more active, require transparency and ac-countability from the politicians who

as the largest joint human rights ac-tion in the region, which was wrecked by ethnic wars in the 1990s.The diverse Coalition for RECOM (Regional Commission for Truth-Seek-ing and Truth-Telling about War Crimes and Other Serious Violations of Hu-man Rights in the former Yugoslavia) aims to submit the signatures to par-liaments in all former Yugoslav coun-tries in June, to advocate the estab-lishment of an independent inter-state investigative body, tasked to establish and publicly disclose facts about the recent Balkan wars. Demonstrations backing the movement were also or-ganized on the launch day of the cam-paign, Tuesday April 26, in capital cities throughout former Yugoslavia including Pristina, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Skopje, Podgorica and Bel-grade. The organizers of the project, the Coalition for RECOM, comprise a non-political network of non-govern-mental organizations, associations and individuals in the region.This coalition favors establishing a Re-gional Commission to garner the facts about victims of war crimes and other Human Rights violations committed in former Yugoslavia between 1991-2001.An estimated 160,000 people were killed and millions left homeless by these ethnic wars in the former Yugo-slavia, which began in Slovenia and ended in Kosovo. Yet a decade after armed conflict ended, no State