Updates from the EU Office to Kosovo*

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR
1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

During the 2022 the Kosovo authorities actively participated in the IPA FF events: the 2nd Host Nation Support & Border Crossing Regional Inter-Institutional Workshop, held in Sarajevo in late June 2022; to the command post exercise on Early warning system held in early July 2022; to the “Country-specific procedures for the development of FRMPs and harmonization of FRMPs with RBMPs”  in mid-September 2022;  to the Team management Training on Ground Forest Fire Fighting (GFFF) in Oct 3, 2022 to Oct 6, 2022 and finally to the Regional Workshop on Early Warning systems and the 2nd Steering Committee held in Rome (Italy) in November.

On January 17, 2023 a part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo was covered by the rain which caused floods especially in the Region of Peja and Mitrovica. Istog, Klina, Mitrovica, Skenderaj and municipalities in the North of Kosovo such as Mitrovica, Zvecani and Zubin Potoku were the most endangered by these floods. Coordination of aid and support for the affected areas, both from the available capacity of the Emergency Management Agency (EMA), as well as assistance to affected families from the Kosovo Red Cross, KSF with the capacity for evacuation and rescue, the Kosovo Police and other services in Municipal and Central level were effectively provided.   

The Emergency Management Agency hosted in January 2023 a Croatian delegation from the Croatian parliament and representatives of companies from the field of Protection and Rescue from disasters in a cooperation meeting. The meeting between the two parties was concluded with mutual pledges that this initiative should be intensified through interstate and inter-institutional agreements and exchanges, for growth and development in order to fulfil the obligations that the institutions have within the legal scope and mandate.