Baraliu: Potential accession to the CoE a burden for Kosovo but a good thing for citizens

Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pristina, Mazllum Baraliu, said, after the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe gave the green light for Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe, that the citizens of Kosovo, if the accession occurred, would be able to more easily access their legal rights, which had not been the case so far, and that Kosovo would have more burdens and responsibilities.

"This is just one step further in the process. In April, the Parliamentary Assembly needs to convene and vote by a two-thirds majority, and if that number of votes is obtained, Kosovo will then be considered to have cleared the next step for accession. The final step will be for the Council of Ministers of that body to make a final decision on Kosovo's potential accession in May or September, if there are enough votes," Baraliu said.

He emphasized that Kosovo's potential accession to the Council of Europe would be a good thing for its citizens.

"For citizens, it is a good thing because citizens in countries like ours and other Balkan countries, unfortunately, have been unable to exercise their legal rights, human rights, property rights, and others for years and decades, so when all the instances are overcome, regular courts, then the Constitutional Court... Then every citizen of this country will have the right, with Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe, to appeal to the European Court to enforce their rights, and that is good for them. It will promote, as envisaged by the acts of that body, the development of human rights, democracy. For the state, this may mean that it will have more burdens because what cannot be achieved here, in regular courts in Kosovo in this case, and in other Balkan countries, citizens will be able to appeal to the Council of Europe to obtain their rights, and then the state will have to pay for that," Baraliu concluded.