EUICC Panel Discussion: Human Rights in the EU Accession Process

The EUICC in North Mitrovica organized a panel discussion marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The debate titled “Human Rights in the EU Accession Process” featured the following panelists:

Stefano Gnocchi, Adviser on Political Affairs/Communities, European Union Office in Kosovo/EUSR
Boyd McKechnie, Senior Adviser on Political Affairs, European Union Office in Kosovo/EUSR
Marko Milosavljević, Youth Initiative for Human Rights Program Coordinator
Ružica Simić, NGO Women’s Rights

The aim of the event was to promote human rights through discussion with human rights defenders on the experiences and challenges they face working in an environment that is increasingly hostile to their work, about the pressures they are exposed to, but also on how society can contribute to the defense of human rights and how the process of accession to the European Union should improve respect for human rights and international standards in this area.

Moderated by Ivana Petronić, the discussion touched on the EU’s role in ensuring the upholding of human right in the region, the status of human rights in Kosovo and how people perceive the current social and political climate of Kosovo and what are the solutions to these issues.