The Kosovo Parliament approved the majority of international agreements, whose ratification had been suspended for some time due to insufficient votes. According to Kosovo law, international agreements can only be ratified with the votes of two-thirds of the deputies.

Two of the international agreements did not receive the necessary support from deputies during the plenary session on May 16. The treaty between Kosovo and Denmark for the utilization of the correctional institution in Gjilan for the purpose of executing Danish sentences, as well as the Credit Agreement for the public finance and economic growth program between Kosovo and the OPEC Fund for International Development, did not gain enough support from deputies.

With the support of deputies from opposition parties, approval was reached for the ratification of the “amendment 3 to the Financial Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and the European Union for the IPA 2015 program” Law. The Parliament also approved the Law for Kosovo’s accession to the Convention on Temporary Import. Deputies also approved the Law on the international agreement with the European Union on what is called the Single Market Program.

At the May 16 session, the international agreement with the International Development Association was also approved. The opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, announced on May 15 that it would vote for international agreements, just one day after the party leader, Memli Krasniqi, held a meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

International agreements amount to €300 million, said earlier by the Minister of Finance, Labour, and Transfers, Hekuran Murati. At the Thursday session, which is a continuation of the one held on May 2, the voting of the Draft Resolution for addressing the findings of the US State Department Report was on the agenda.

At the request of the ruling Self-Determination Movement, the vote was postponed for another session as they claimed the “resolution is incomplete.”

“We request more time for harmonizing positions to complete the resolution,” said the head of the parliamentary group of the Self-Determination Movement, Mimoza Kusari-Lila.

/k.s/