21 May – Secondary school Luciano Matroni in Prizren

“Kosovo can learn from EU how to move on from the past”

Alison Weston, the ICO Chief of Staff gave a lecture today at the secondary school Luciano Matroni in Prizren.  She explained to the children the origins of the European Union and what the idea behind it was.  War was a means of solving problems among old European countries for a very long time, she said, but 65 years ago they saw the economic interest of working together and it helped them think about solving their problems with peaceful means.

Students were mostly interested in the prospects of Kosovo becoming a member in EU family. “What does Kosovo need to do to enter the EU?” asked one student. Alison Weston explained that the country should as a first step meet the basic criteria: be located in Europe geographically and respect the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the rule of law and then there are more detailed and complex criteria, called Copenhagen Criteria. She acknowledged that the path to EU is long and challenging but stated that Kosovo should look forward not only to integration but also to the process of meeting all these criteria.

“I know what you have been through and all the things you have suffered in the past, but it is up to you to decide what you want to do about it! Whether you want to move on towards a better perspective for you all or want to be stuck in the past”, she said.