Sweden is supporting to Kosovo so it can become less poor and take steps towards joining the EU and adopting its fundamental values.
Because many countries and organizations are providing development assistance to Kosovo, the Swedish government has decided that its support will focus on three areas: the environment, education and democratic governance/human rights. In the next few years, the amount of this support will be about SEK 80 million per year.
Democratic governance is about improving a country’s public administration. We are focusing on urban planning, property management and statistics. The state will be more democratic once this is done and working efficiently, according to laws and regulations.
We are also providing support for cooperation between Swedish and Kosovar non-governmental organizations so that ordinary people can observe and debate issues concerning democracy and rights.
Forests need care
Within the environmental area, we are working to train and improve administrators centrally and locally so that they can implement their plans more effectively.
We may also begin supporting environmental investments. Within forestry, we want to see the responsible ministry develop a long-term programme for management that takes the environment into account. We will also support the growth of private forestry companies, which can create jobs and improve forestry management.
Sixth-form unites both sides
Within education, our target is for more people to receive adequate vocational training and for the authority to be strong enough to implement plans within education. Support will also be given to individual projects to achieve the first target.
One of these is a vocational sixth-form college in Mitrovica, which is a town divided between Kosovar Serbs and Kosovar Albanians. By taking in youths from both groups and giving them vocational training in English, tensions can be bridged. This programme will begin during 2009.
Our development assistance is to be based on Kosovo’s own priorities and co-ordinated with the EU’s co-operation. Because we are working with Kosovo’s own, although weak, administration, we must be aware of the risk of corruption.
An analysis of Kosovo’s situation is presented in Sweden’s development assistance strategy. You can read about the results of previous development assistance efforts:
