Governor Ismaili meets officials of the European Union Office in Kosovo

The Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, Ahmet Ismaili with his associates met the officials from the European Union Office, Mr. Johannes Stenbaek Madsen – Head of Cooperation Sector and Ms. Paulina Stanoeva – Program Manager, whereby, among other things, they discussed about the coordination of activities in the fight against counterfeit money (coins in the denomination of 2 euros) and related aspects.

During this meeting, Governor Ismaili and Deputy Governor Dardan Fusha disclosed the activities of the CBK so far and expressed their willingness to further expand the inter-institutional group with representatives from international missions, within the framework of the short-term measures foreseen in the plan.

In the meeting, they also discussed about the long-term aspects of building state capacities for combating and preventing such similar illegal activities, including the support of the CBK with international best practices through specific mechanisms and instruments of the EU and European Central Bank.

Such an effort is also related to the possibility of creating the National Center for Combating Counterfeit Money and other non-legal activities. The modalities will be addressed in separate meetings at a technical and professional level.

Senior officials of the CBK have announced that in implementation of this plan, the CBK is undertaking and will continue to undertake its actions, in a coordinated manner and within its scope. This includes and is not limited to the review of the fee for depositing coins in banks, advancing inter-institutional cooperation and between the financial sector, promoting the use of electronic payment methods and other guidelines as part of financial education campaigns.

The CBK’s plans to advance the payment system and its digitalization were also discussed, with a focus on the connection with the Single European Payments Area and the payment systems of the European Union, whereby, appropriate support was requested as part of regional integration initiatives.

Other aspects of the restrictions the Kosovo citizens are facing, were part of the discussion, including the Green Card, which is related to the free movement of citizens and goods.

In conclusion, the CBK and the EU Office have agreed to increase the exchange of experiences and information, as well as to have more frequent meetings between the institutions for necessary coordination and support in accordance with common objectives.