Where do we go?

Where do we go?

("Zeri", November 3, 2008, shorter-version,

by Burim Ramadani)

The Balkan region still remains the most undeveloped democracy in Europe and it is super-known for organized crime, corruption and other negative phenomena. The question raised is where Kosovo society is going? The ones that dare to speak up publicly about anything they think will bring them votes, have to clarify their positions on where they want to lead Kosovo society and state.

Several days ago European Commission (EC) published parts of the report that is done annually for each state in which EC often tells some nations the truth, different from their respective governments.

Negative evaluation of the EC for the rule of law in Kosovo, came in fact only weeks after OSCE’s report and the report of International Crisis Group (ICG). The three reports have common denominator which is unfortunately negative about Kosovo’s state society.

In all the reports the lack of will, strategy and approach for fighting organized crime and corruption is very clear. The concerns about the situation are growing, if the situation is assessed this way even nine years after the war.

The worse version of the state policy-making in Kosovo is the version that disappoints international democratic community, which without doubts has all the credits for liberating Kosovo. It is also the western state democracies which are helping to modernize the Kosovo state.

The seal for state development and Kosovo society is in the hands of Kosovars and the Kosovar political elite. But the latest EC report makes clear that Kosovo has made no progress comparing with other Balkan states. Only by analyzing this sentence, concern is raised in terrible dimensions. There is a real risk for unstoppable roll-down, though reaction must be quick and dynamic.

The risk will continue to grow as longs as professional reports rank Kosovo as negative. The will of the citizens to build a democratic society and to become democratic leaders in the Balkans is clearly jeopardized.