Wine cocktail

Last week, a large contingent of weapons was also confiscated in the north. Who knows how many weapons are brought there, so that no one stops the infiltration. But this will surely not be taken into account by those who insist that the sanctions against Kosovo should continue, instead of being applied to the party that is the source of so much evil. Because they still believe that by treating Serbia the best and making it happy, all the things will be solved by themselves. Once upon a time, they had thought and acted alike. We know how it all ended

I'm still surprised when I hear people tell me that the global warming job is a made up job for some reason, that the bottom line is money. It's almost as if they live in another dimension where the seasons of the year continue to be as I remember them from childhood: where each of them lasted exactly 3 months, where there was snow in the winter, flowers bloomed in the spring, the scorching sun dominated the summer, and autumn was filled with fallen leaves, rain and a little smell of coal that heralded the white season.

Last winter was not winter. A couple of days of snow, a lot of rain, a couple of days with minus temperatures and the end result: the destruction of the winter tires that didn't even come close to the ice melted with salt, because there was no ice. The spring became a rainy autumn that did not stop, and before it ended it took us to a tropical environment with abnormal temperatures close to forty degrees. Now we have to see if maybe in autumn the flowers start to bloom and conclude that the world has turned upside down.

* * *

So, this tropical storm is coming between the unbearable atmospheric heat and the warmth that cause the emotions of the matches taking place in the European Football Championship. Kosovo did not manage to qualify, and as it is playing recently, it will hardly reach this goal before many years pass. It was not uncommon for those who said that we would look for Challandes, seeing the performance of the current selector. Which shows that in order to achieve greater success, investments are needed: in qualified personnel who will lead the team; in quality players; in infrastructure, so we still have "stadiums" that look more like fields than playing fields, as well as in the future: I don't believe that there is a strategy for providing as much space and opportunity for children and young people to play sports in general. 

In order to reach an acceptable international level in sports, it must start from childhood. Investing in the development of sports in Kosovo would have a double effect - we would also have a better level of presentation internationally and we would have the youth engaged in something that positively affects their psycho-physical development. It would make them more engaged and more disciplined anyway, and it would substantially reduce the time they spend on social networks and the like.

Yes, it's true that we don't have a lot of money, like the big European countries have. But the fact remains that we don't even know how to spend the money we have and we find it very difficult as a society to determine the priorities in which to invest. In the last post, I talked about education as the priority above priorities - so naturally, education and sports should be combined and developed in parallel. After all, it costs nothing to dream that someday we will sing and know the importance of both. I just wish that this job doesn't take another two decades.

* * *

And while the heat and football are taking all our attention, on the political level there were two movements in the last few days.

The first was a statement, as unbelievable as it may seem, by the spokesperson of the High Representative of the EU, the Slovak Peter Stano, who said: "The agreement on the road to normalization is valid and binding in its entirety for both parties, both for Kosovo and Serbia. This also includes Article 4 and Serbia's lobbying against Kosovo is a clear violation of this agreement".

So, even though the EU itself and all the parties involved in the normalization process are very clear that the Brussels agreement and its continuation in Ohrid are not valid agreements, because Serbia has presented its reservation to almost of the entire agreement (a fact that makes it invalid), however, and finally, a voice was heard from Brussels indicating that Serbia's approach, with the obstructions it makes to Kosovo for membership in international bodies, is that of a party not cooperative.

What is not surprising is that beyond this statement, Europe does not go further: it does not think of imposing sanctions on Serbia, as it did on Kosovo, in vain in May of last year.

The second movement was Borrell's report regarding these same sanctions. 

After many months of discussion and perhaps two months of drafting, Borrelli finally came up with the recommendation that the sanctions be lifted. And while the introduction of sanctions did not need consensus and the decision was taken at the speed of light, now their removal does not go through the block, but will go in an escalated form because a third of the EU members do not agree that they to be removed, "because Kosovo has not met the requirements".

And the requests, we will remember, had to do with the special police in the north, after the elections boycotted by the Serbs. So, the same special police who came out white-faced from the terrorist attack of the Serbian paramilitaries led by Radoiçiqi, and for which event the EU and no one has yet issued any report to ascertain the situation even on paper. 9 months have passed since the Banjska event. 

Meanwhile, Radoiçiqi, after accepting responsibility for the attack, has found shelter in Belgrade where, according to BIRN sources in Serbia, he is building a 1500 square meter villa in the most luxurious neighborhood of Belgrade, Dedinje, worth 6 million euros. His neighbors are another criminal from the north, Zvonko Veselinović, as well as Aleksandar Vučić's godfather, Nikola Petrović. 

If there had been the will to completely normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia, this report would have come out before the end of last year and maybe some things would have been different.

* * *

The elections in Europe ended and now the negotiations for the appointment of the leaders of the European Commission are taking place. What is known for sure is that Lajçak will no longer be a facilitator, but what is also known is that he will continue to come to Kosovo and Serbia until the person who will replace him in the post is appointed.

So, he came last week and met with Besnik Bislim, but not with Kurt. He came out to say that it was for the lifting of sanctions, but not for the opening of the Ibri Bridge. I would be surprised if he would support the opening of the bridge - he would annoy the Serbs whom he sympathizes too much, and he tried not to do this all the time he played the role of facilitator, mediator and judge. why didn't he have that authorization.

Another one who will go is Borrelli, in relation to Kosovo, just as biased as his Slovak emissary. Therefore, his invitation sent to Kurt and Vučić for a meeting next week in Brussels is very surprising. Honestly, I don't understand what anyone can do with someone who will no longer be in that post in a month. 

Except if Borrelli has decided to invite them to say hello since he has completely satisfied him in this dialogue.

* * *

Next week will be very hot as well - now is the time, since summer has officially started. And football will continue. Which does not mean that it should be released completely. 

Last week, a large contingent of weapons was also confiscated in the north. Who knows how many weapons are brought there, so that no one stops the infiltration. 

But this will surely not be taken into account by those who insist that the sanctions against Kosovo should continue, instead of being applied to the party that is the source of so much evil. Because they still believe that by treating Serbia the best and making it happy, all the things will be solved by themselves. 

Once upon a time, they had thought and acted alike. We know how it all ended.

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