The vice president of the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe, Mr Björn von Sydow, has been appointed as Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo. It is a two years’ mandate. Mr von Sydow shall on the basis of i.a. visits to Kosovo make an analysis of the situation. The first visit to Pristina and other localities will take place during the first week of February.
One of the elements of the report to be prepared by Mr von Sydow will be an assessment of the institutional situation in Kosovo and whether there are overlapping functions between different actors, both national and international. Furthermore, an assessment of the real situation on the ground will be made. This will include i.a. if there is respect of the rule of law and human rights, including minority rights, and also reflect the situation for internally displaced persons and the functioning of local government.
One part of the report will deal with the limitations of the Council of Europe and contain proposals regarding how the organisation could strengthen or develop its role in Kosovo. The approach will be status-neutral.