12 December 2019 – The following Kosovo-Serbia Policy Advocacy Group (KSPAG) local roundtable was organized by Democracy for Development (D4D) in Peja/Pec on 12 December 2019. The roundtable that discussed  the benefits of the technical dialogue was attended by young people from the Pjea Municipality.

In his opening remarks, Allen Meta from D4D provided an overview of the project and KSPAG consortium efforts to inform the citizens on the technical dialogue. He elaborated extensively on the reached agreements during the technical dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade and how these agreements affect citizen’s everyday life.

On the other hand, Ms. Donika Marku from the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) provided an overview of the centers research done in Kosovo on the technical dialogue and argued on the importance of the objective information on the agreements and their benefits. Based on the research data, she highlighted the low level of citizens’ awareness of the technical dialogue agreements.

Mr. Sebastian Merdita from the Forum for Integration and Development explained the concrete benefits for the citizens brought by the technical dialogue. He focused on examples from the agreement on freedom of movement, telecommunication, and recognition of diplomas.

Participants, on the other hand, noted the importance of the information shared by the panelists and agreed with the positive perspective on the technical dialogue, however, they insisted on the lack of transparency as the main factor for their lack of information on the technical dialogue process and its outcomes.

This event was organized with the support of the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo and the European Union. The content of this activity is the sole responsibility of the Kosovo-Serbia Policy and Advocacy Group and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo and the European Union.