The Second Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Joint Project funded by the European Union and Implemented by the Council of Europe “Promoting Human Rights and Minority Protection in South East Europe” was held in Pristina, Kosovo* on 26 March 2015.
The meeting was opened by Ms Isabelle Servoz-Galluci, Head of CoE office in Kosovo*, Mr Bajram Gecaj, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Local Government Administration, Mr Stefano Gnocchi, Adviser on Political Affairs / Communities, European Union Office in Kosovo / European Union Special Representative in Kosovo* and Ms Sarah Keating, Head of Unit for Regional and Bilateral Co-operation in South East Europe and Turkey.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the following topics:
- Project activities and results for the period between July to March 2015;
- Project activity plan for 2015;
- First results of the baseline study of the project;
The Project Secretariat presented the key results achieved so far, which included the design of the project proposals in 36 selected local governments under the small grant component of the Project, setting up of functional local task forces, and selection of relevant short–term experts. Furthermore, over the past period, the Project Secretariat had provided ad hoc assistance to beneficiaries in Albania (namely the translation of the latest recommendations from the Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities), Bosnia and Herzegovina (namely expert advise on drafting the second report on the implementation of European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages) and Serbia (namely assistance with developing an action plan for minority inclusion, under Charter 23 of the EU accession). The Steering Committee members also reviewed and discussed the proposed activity plan for 2015, and were presented the initial findings and conclusions from the baseline study prepared by the College of Europe.
In the forthcoming period, the Project Secretariat will focus on supporting the project implementation, through monitoring and provision of technical expertise where needed. It will also design the methodology for selection of the best practice projects. The future coordination between stakeholders will be facilitated by a list of key project events/dates to be submitted by each of the selected local governments.
The Steering Committee members gave a positive opinion on the proposed activity plan for 2015, and agreed on the importance of focusing in the forthcoming period on the quality of implementation of the small grants projects and exchange of good practice. The Committee members reconfirmed their support for the work of the Project Secretariat, and pointed to the quality of the project proposals. The Steering Committee members were encouraged to seek assistance from the Project Secretariat as required. It was agreed that written comments on the baseline study would be submitted by 10th April 2015.
The next Steering Committee meeting will be held in September 2015.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
