Anti-EU protests over police mission to Kosovo

In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians have been demonstrating against the deployment of a European Union police mission. Thousands of people packed into the streets of the capital Pristina insisting Kosovo should be “part of the EU and not under the EU”. The demonstrators claim Kosovo does not need more police officers and judges but rather serious economic development instead. The mission known as EULEX was due to deploy soon after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. But it stalled because of objections from Belgrade.

The UN has now given the EU the right to take over the policing in both Serb and Albanian dominated areas. Today’s intended start date was put back until next week. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has welcomed the EU initiative and promised to cooperate closely with the European forces. Thaci said the government’s goal of getting closer to the EU could be threatened if corruption and organised crime was allowed to get out of hand.

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tags: Demonstration, European Union, Kosovo