EU Assistance to Kosovo passes €1 billion mark

RELIEF WEB (SWITZERLAND)

 

Source: European Union (EU)

Date: 16 Jun 2006

 

Pristina, Kosovo – The European Agency for Reconstruction has now contracted more than €1 billion in EU assistance projects to support reconstruction and development in Kosovo. The Agency, set up by the EU in 2000 to manage its assistance programme, has contracted 93 per cent and spent 87 per cent of its cumulative portfolio of 1.07 billion in EU funds for Kosovo for 2000-05.

 

"This is a significant achievement in delivering EU assistance efficiently, and I believe our efforts have made a considerable difference in the day-to-day lives of the people of Kosovo," said Thierry Bernard-Guele, head of the Agency's Pristina office. "Anyone who remembers Kosovo in 1999 knows how far it has come," he added.

 

The European Union responded quickly to the crisis in mid-1999 to help Kosovo get back on its feet. The European Commission's Kosovo Task Force was deployed virtually on the heels of the NATO-led Kosovo Force, in an effort to quickly stabilise the still-volatile situation.

 

When a few months later the European Council decided to set up the European Agency for Reconstruction, the focus of the work was on much needed physical reconstruction of Kosovo's infrastructure ruined by years of neglect and damaged during the conflict.

 

The Agency managed to provide housing for 120,000 vulnerable people, improved the water supply for 800,000 people, repaired kilometres of roads and bridges and helped dozens of municipalities fix their infrastructure. The EU funded the rehabilitation of coalmines and refurbished Kosovo's main power plant. Crucial work was also done on improving the environment.

 

"As soon as you leave the airport, you travel on one of our roads; you pass town halls that have been efurbished, the new government building, the university campus, and many more such examples, which are all part of the EU's contribution," said Thierry Bernard-Guele.

 

The focus of the Agency's work in Kosovo has shifted from physical infrastructure projects to the less visible, but equally important, effort to help Kosovo establish a modern, democratic society. Today the EU funds technical assistance programmes for various public institutions from government ministries to courts and auditing bodies.

 

"The commitment and hard work of the government and people receiving assistance contributes to the successful implementation of EU projects," Bernard-Guele said.

 

The European Agency for Reconstruction is currently managing more than €150 million in ongoing projects for Kosovo to build the capacity of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) to develop EU compatible policies and strategies, enhance economic development and the rule of law, and support the further transfer of responsibilities from UNMIK to Kosovo's institutions.