“Without a clear conclusion from the Council of Europe on what happened in Kosovo in the direct aftermath of the armed conflict and before the international forces gained control of the area, it will be very difficult to establish reconciliation between the Albanian and Serbian communities of Kosovo,” commented ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP on the discussion in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of the Marty report on the inhumane treatment of persons and illegal trafficking of human organs in Kosovo.

The Council of Europe today demanded a formal investigation into allegations of human rights abuses (including organ trafficking) by leading government politicians in Kosovo, as laid out in a report by rapporteur Dick Marty. The Greens have expressed concern about the allegations and called for a thorough investigation to be concluded without delay and for the COE to cooperate with the EU mission in Kosovo to this end. Green MEP Ulrike Lunacek, the European Parliament's draftsperson on Kosovo, said:

The European Parliament's budgetary control committee is in the final stages of drafting its report on the 2009 discharge procedure into sound financial management under the leadership of Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (FDP, Germany), rapporteur. This week the committee will complete its hearings with all Commissioners and their services and begin to draw some conclusions.

After a demonstration in Tirana turned violent last Friday, resulting in the deaths of several citizens, Elmar Brok, EPP Group spokesman on foreign affairs, calls on the Socialist leader Edi Rama to end the political fight on the streets and take it back to the Albanian Parliament. Speaking during a press conference before a demonstration which he organised, Rama stated that he would have no control over the crowd, rejecting any responsibility for the occurrence of violence.

Brussels – ETNO called today for a strong cooperation between all actors in healthcare across the EU in order to remove legal and organisational barriers and accelerate the take up of e-health by medical community and users.  ETNO 3rd Innovation Day was opened by Commissioner Neelie Kroes and attended by about 200 representatives from the EU institutions, national and regional authorities, medical and patient organisations, telecoms operators and vendors.