Authorities in Kosovo must crack down on government corruption, including pushing "tainted" officials from positions of power, in order to progress towards EU integration and lure investment, the bloc's top envoy said, according to Reuters. Independent for just over two years, the Balkan country of more than two million aspires to join the EU as do its neighbours, but suffers from a poor economy and a lack of diplomatic recognition from five EU countries. Pieter Feith, EU special representative to Kosovo and top international envoy overseeing its independence, said on Monday that Pristina could not progress towards the EU without closer relations with its neighbours or a robust fight against crime. "There is another misconception ... that you can come closer to the European Union without combatting and eradicating the evil of organised crime and corruption," he told Reuters. "When I am talking about combatting corruption and organised crime, in my concept this means very serious incisive steps, and includes also that personalities who are tainted, who are being investigated, should not be part of the inner circle of power." With unemployment running as high as 45 percent and foreign investment at very low levels, crime offers many an outlet. According to a U.S. State Department report released last week, drug traffickers use Kosovo as a transit route to Europe for drugs from Afghanistan, with some police and customs officers involved in corruption. "Kosovo needs to improve its international reputation and image," Feith said in an interview. "It is so important that we can get rid of corrupt personalities in this country." IMF DEAL PENDING A possible deal with the International Monetary Fund, which concluded a visit to Pristina last Friday, could improve economic stability and help lure international investment. "My impression was that we are very close to a programme but that there were some loose ends that still needed to be tied up," Feith said. "If there would be a programme, this would give greater certainty about managing the budget, about insuring fiscal discipline, and also that there would be resources coming Kosovo's way as a sort of contingency reserve for future use." Among upcoming opportunities for investors are a telecoms privatisation slated for later this year, energy projects, and a concession of the Pristina airport. A major risk for Kosovo remains its Serbian enclaves, including the divided city of Mitrovica, which are not under Pristina's control. Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovo's independence, helps financially subsidise those Serbs. Feith said an International Court of Justice ruling expected this summer after a request for a review by Serbia on the status of Kosovo could pave the way to ease very strained relations between Pristina and Belgrade. "Following the International Court of Justice coming out with its advisory opinion on the legality of the declaration of independence, I would assume and hope that communications, contacts and, over time, negotiations can start between Belgrade and Pristina," he said.
