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The improvement of the social and economic situation of the people in Kosovo, including economic development, the fight against corruption, as well as EU and NATO membership were identified as the key priorities of the government. Furthermore, the speakers discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the Schengen visa liberalization. One speaker stressed the importance of the Schengen visa liberalization for the people in Kosovo because the agreement would allow for migration control. Critical voices by contrast declared that the visa liberalization might not solve the problem of increasing numbers of asylum seekers from Kosovo as the opposite was the case for its neighboring states. Last year, a quarter of an overall number of 200.000 asylum seekers in Germany came from the Western Balkans, one participant mentioned. In this context, the warning was issued that the increasing numbers of economic refugees might lead to the questioning of the principle of freedom of movement within Europe in public opinion. However, both proponents and critics identified the visa liberalization process as a whole as a strong motor for Kosovo’s reform process to align with European standards.
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