Where the border is a boundary

An article written by Anna Wiman.

The European Union. What does it mean to you? Essentially, it is a union which makes it easier for European countries to cooperate closely in the fields of economy and trade. It has helped European countries to stand stronger together. I still keeps growing, evolving and developing, moving like a cultural wave over the European landscape. But what about the people who are part of Europe but not part of our union? Kosovo, a country of 2 million people located in the middle of the Balkans, declared independence from Serbia on February 17^th 2008 and keeps being pushed out by the European Union. And it is the young population suffers the most.

The European Union represents different things to different people. For those who are already part of it, the European Union probably represents freedom, justice and democracy, as well as the ability to move freely across Europe. It is a characteristic of freedom to be able to travel abroad without a visa, which makes it possible to share views and experiences with people from other countries anywhere, anytime.

For citizens who are already part of the European Union, that the borders of Europe used to be boundaries is just a distant memory. For the citizens of Europe who are not yet part of the union, membership of the European Union remains a strong wish which involves bureaucratic, political processes in order to even become a candidate.

Kosovo. What does Kosovo mean to you? Kosovo became Europe’s youngest country on February 17^th 2008 by declaring independence from Serbia. Most people still seem to think of it as a dangerous war-zone, even though the Kosovo war ended more than 10 years ago. The Kosovo war in 1998-1999 between Serbian military forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army, a Kosovo Albanian guerrilla organization, ended when NATO intervened in March 1999. The province was then controlled under a UN mandate for a decade until the declaration of independence.

Kosovo is a country that stands outside the door to the European Union, despite the fact that the union itself plays a huge role in supporting Kosovo. For example, The European Commission keeps financing projects in Kosovo that seek make strengthen civil society, the political system and the economy. The European Union has also installed a Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) to strengthen the efficacy of the legal system.

Kosovo’s neighbour Albania recently met the criteria for visa liberalization: an important step not only for the Albanians in Albania, but for the region as a whole on its path towards integration into the European Union. But for Kosovo Albanians, travelling abroad still remains a real hassle due to visa regulations. The road to visa liberalization and EU membership seems to be very long.

In 2008, the European Union created and offered so-called “visa roadmaps” to every Balkan country except Kosovo. On November 22^nd 2010, the European Stability Initiative (ESI), a non-profit research and policy institute, published a discussion paper, “Isolation Confirmed: How the EU is undermining its interests in Kosovo”, which criticized the fact that Kosovo keeps being excluded from the visa roadmap processes within EU’s visa policy towards the Balkans. According to ESI, the current EU visa policy is unfair and discriminating against Kosovo. ESI also argues that EU’s credibility will suffer by not offering a visa roadmap for Kosovo in the near future.

While the European Union wants all 27 EU member-states to recognize Kosovo’s independence before any important steps towards visa liberalization can be taken, ESI argues that Kosovo’s visa liberalization process should be carried out, neutrally, by the European Union. Kosovo must receive a visa roadmap and be given the same opportunities to implement reforms in order to strengthen itself, as well as the Balkan region and the European Union as a whole.

Economic development in Kosovo is slow but steady. Government structures are undeveloped and corrupt, civil society is weak and unemployment is extremely high. Yet in the middle of what seems to be an endless struggle of the people of Kosovo, the young Kosovo Albanians stand united. Kosovo has a very young population: 50% of its citizens are under 26.

The fact that the government in Kosovo tends to lack transparency and democracy and is not free from corruption leads its young people to believe that political representatives cannot change anything. They therefore take matters into own hands. Young people in Kosovo are strong and creative. They value education, are engaged in the everyday politics of their country and have an interest in building a stronger Kosovo.

In many ways, the case of Kosovo represents a dilemma: the population wants change, but has neither the knowledge nor tools to bring it about. Young people in Kosovo definitely have a strong desire to change things, but feel constantly forgotten. Is the help Kosovo receives really sufficient? Is the European Union doing enough? The European Union should intensify its cooperation with non-member states like Kosovo in order to integrate them more easily into the European family.

A primary focus should be to give young people in Kosovo more possibilities to explore Europe and the world. If it cannot be done right away through visa liberalization at least it can be made easier by offering more possibilities in the field of education and intercultural exchange. It could be in the form of student exchanges at all levels of education as well as organized cross-cultural exchanges, bringing together youth from Kosovo and the European Union countries.

It is very important that the Kosovo youth gets out there as soon as possible, as they are the future of Kosovo. In February 2011 it will be three years since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and the young population of Kosovo still hope that the country will become strong, free and democratic one day. They still believe in change. They still believe in themselves. They still believe that they will become part of the European Union.

But how long will they keep this faith? How long will they believe their country can change when the possibility to go abroad involves an endless hassle of visa applications? The Kosovo Albanians are proud people –they love their country and their traditions. They are proud of having preserved their cultural heritage and beliefs in spite of having always been ruled by foreign powers. They would do anything for their country, but would also like to be part of Europe: to have the chance to explore it gain knowledge that they can use to strengthen themselves and their country.

Young people in Kosovo are keen to find their own solutions to problems, which is something that many of us living in the European Union have forgotten, tending to be content to leave things as they are. Young people in Kosovo need, however, to breathe fresh air. This is why it is so important that they are given more opportunities to move more freely.

Kosovo is additionally an important player in inter-European relations. The vision of the European Union is to stand strong together, through integration and cooperation. Kosovo is hardly a faraway country that Europe does not have any relation to: the tiny country of 2 million people is located in the middle of Europe and is important both geographically and politically. The European Union should not forget about the Balkans and Kosovo: it is the last region of Europe that needs to be integrated as soon as possible in order to make the union complete.

For all people living in Kosovo, the border is an obstacle even after independence. Inside contemporary Europe, the word border is increasingly losing its relevance. The European Union should work harder on tearing borders down, and, in Kosovo’s case, work harder at removing the obstacle in the word border.

Anna Wiman is a freelance writer. You can read more about her at www.annawiman.com or contact her at annawiman[at]tele2.se.