Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi has spoken about the process of dialogue with Serbia in the third anniversary of the Vetëvendosje government. He said that during this period the dialogue turned towards the path of normalization and mutual recognition, but which Serbia continues to reject, as it is proving with the Basic Agreement of Brussels and the Implementing Annex of Ohrid. "Their destructive approach was unmasked, but we continued our commitment, showing constructiveness and being an active party, through the continuous offering of proposals and ideas in issues related to dialogue," Bislimi wrote on Facebook.
Full post:While in economic development we had an average economic growth of 6.2% for the last three years and an increase in employment more than ever before, in European integration we signed agreements and fulfilled the obligations within the existing ones, which will benefit the total 229 million euros in the form of grants from the EU and other partners. The economy developed and recognized a doubling of exports and foreign direct investments, but also an increase in business turnover, where only during 2023 it was 58% more compared to 2019. The export-import ratio improved from 1:9 in 1:6 and capital expenditures in 2023 have reached the highest level in the history of the country, in the amount of over 555 million euros executed.
Of the 420 active jobs, women and young people were the biggest beneficiaries, through direct support in the employment of over 12 women and the doubling of the number of employed young people. At the beginning of 2021, there were 28,293 young people, while in 2023 it reached the figure of 60,884. The path towards internal progress has as its objective not only the increase of citizens' well-being and economic development, but also the orientation of the state towards the highest European standards and integration into international structures and institutions. So we took the first step towards EU membership, through the application in December 2022, right after the Best Country Ever Report for Kosovo that year, and constant work on implementing reforms, where more than half of them are fully implemented or under implementation, but we also concluded during this three-year period reforms that had not been undertaken and completed for years.
Our progress is also evidenced by international evaluations and rankings. We rose by 21 places in the Transparency International Index, 22 places higher in the Media Freedom Index, we were first in the Western Balkans, second in Europe and third in the world according to Freedom House for improvement in political rights and civil liberties , the first in the Western Balkans in terms of increased revenue collection, according to the IMF, and we benefited from the largest support package in the region for citizens facing inflation and the energy crisis, as a percentage of GDP, according to the World Bank .
The electricity in the north has started to be paid for the first time, and also the illegal license plates were removed from circulation. Law and order now prevails in every corner of the country. The dialogue process turned towards the path of normalization and mutual recognition, but which our northern neighbor continues to reject, as evidenced by the Basic Agreement of Brussels and the Implementing Annex of Ohrid. Their destructive approach was unmasked, but we continued our commitment, showing constructiveness and being an active party, through the continuous offering of proposals and ideas in the dialogue issues. This last year of our first full governing mandate will continue with the same dedication, energy and pace of work. Together we have achieved a lot, and together we will do even more. Towards the empowerment of development and prosperity for our country.