Kosovo has made progress towards gender equality, where women dominate 8 out of 14 functional committees in parliament and 6 out of 18 government members are women. However, discrimination against ethnic minorities and marginalized groups, such as the LGBTIQ+ community, continues. There have been some advances in children’s rights, with a comprehensive legal framework in place, but implementation and decentralization of services remain a challenge. Progress in economic, social, and cultural rights has been insufficient, with barriers to equal access to employment and quality education. Property rights and freedom of expression also need improvement.

There has been progress in consultation with CSOs and transparency of public financing, with over 98% of policy and draft laws documents published in 2021. However, there has been no progress in media freedom compared to last year. The dismissal of all members of the RTK Board has been described as transparent. The number of threats and attacks against journalists and media increased by 21% in 2021. Some improvements have been made for whistle-blowers, but no progress has been reported in the legal framework. The proposed draft law to amend the Law on the Independent Media Commission is expected to pass in Parliament in 2022, which will also change the Law on Radio Television of Kosovo. Access to public information and the performance of oversight institutions deteriorated in 2021.

In 2021, Kosovo has made progress in terms of GDP growth, with government revenues increasing by 8%, and foreign direct investment by 22%. However, the country still faces challenges in reducing the trade deficit, improving the business structure and formalizing the economy, which reaches up to 30%. Moreover, there has been no improvement in reducing the gap between new and closed businesses, and fatal accidents at work have only decreased by 18%. Kosovo has also not made progress in employment, job security, and migration. The implementation of the Sectorial Strategy 2018-2022 has been inadequate and the new Law on Labour and Law on Socio-Economic Council have not yet been approved.

Kosovo has made some efforts to improve energy efficiency, such as creating an Energy Efficiency Fund in 2019 and implementing environmental measures to improve the functioning of its thermal power plants. However, progress has been minimal in addressing commercial losses, ensuring energy security, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which in 2020 were estimated at up to 10,266 Gg (Giga grams) of CO2 (equivalent), or about 10.2 million tons of CO2 eq. A draft of a new Energy Strategy for the period 2022-2031 has been presented but not approved, and there has been no progress in implementing a gradual tariff adjustment plan. The integrated National Energy Climate Plan was not adopted and has no legal basis for its implementation without a Law on Climate Change.

In 2021, there was a 12% increase in spending on children with disabilities, but minimal progress was reported in infrastructure and investment spending, with only a 10.2% increase for laboratory equipment, renovations, and other materials. There has been no progress in research and education spending, which remains insufficient for students. Enrolment in higher education has increased by 26.4%, and there have been some advances in reducing the dropout rate for Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian students and females. However, progress in graduation rates was insufficient, with only 6,193 students graduating in 2021. Kosovo’s membership in the European Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) was revoked in 2019 and has not been reinstated. Insufficient progress has also been reported in the recruitment and appointment of school directors based on meritocracy and in the professional training offered through the Support to Vocational Education and Training project in Kosovo, as schools face continuous challenges in aligning their curricula with market needs. No progress was reported in aligning the curriculum to improve the quality of education and vocational training.

Kosovo has not made progress in improving its healthcare system, despite allocating 8.2% of the budget to healthcare and a 10% increase in overall healthcare spending compared to 2020. The country still lacks a universal healthcare scheme, and the 2013 law on healthcare provision remains in force. There has been no increase in the number of specialist doctors, and there were 6.4% fewer specialist doctors in 2021 than in 2020. In 2021, 71.7% of respondents believed that corruption had an impact on healthcare, although this is a slight improvement compared to 73% in 2020. 50% of the population has been partially vaccinated and 45% fully vaccinated against COVID-19. There has been a slight improvement in healthcare infrastructure and the adoption of a healthcare promotion and education strategy in 2021. Challenges in implementing the healthcare strategy include inadequate access to healthcare for one-fifth of the population, the cost of diagnostic services, non-reimbursement of medical expenses, and insufficient allocation of funds based on needs.

There has been considerable progress in relations with Albania and North Macedonia. We have 13 agreements reached between Kosovo and Albania. There have also been several meetings between Kosovo and North Macedonia, and work is underway on an agreement to open the Border Crossing Point. Progress has also been made with Montenegro, with the signing of an agreement to eliminate vehicle insurance taxes for trips between the two countries. However, there has been no progress with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kosovo has made some progress in implementing regional roaming agreements and has appointed a national coordinator to facilitate the creation of a regional market. However, there has been no significant progress towards membership in new organizations or initiatives. Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia resumed in 2020, with minimal progress made in implementing agreements and reaching an agreement on license plates. However, progress in finding missing persons has been lacking.