Introduction As Kosovo comes close to its third independence anniversary, the citizens of the newest country in the world

remain isolated and unrecognized from the majority of countries, which denies Kosovars the same commodities that their neighbors in the Balkans and Europe enjoy. till, two! thirds of the countries in the world, including five E" member states, refuse to recognize Kosovo. #he $oreign %olicy &lub has identified '( issues that complicate our lives. )t has e*amined the barriers and conse+uences behind '( issues that prevent Kosovo,s -.- million citizens to have a normal life as the citizens of Europe and beyond. .hile for the countries not recognizing Kosovo, it is a mere political stance and decisions, the conse+uences of all this are felt by the citizens of Kosovo, the majority of whom are under the age of /0. And although the youth is constantly referred to as the country,s greatest asset, their future prospects, be it in Kosovo or abroad, remain very limited. o while for the non!recognizing #he rest of the region has taken huge steps in reforms, bringing them closer to the European family day by day. Kosovars, though, remain handicapped, often facing unfair standards and barriers whether in joining international structures, benefiting from e*isting ones, to traveling, doing business and trade, communications, education and more. '. As of 1ecember of this year, when the E" lifts the visa regime for Albania and Bosnia and 2erzegovina, 3which erbia, 4acedonia and 4ontenegro got in -((56, Kosovo will become the most isolated place on earth. )ts citizens can travel only to five countries without a visa ! Albania, 4acedonia, 4ontenegro, #urkey and 2aiti. Even citizens of Afghanistan can travel to -- countries visa free, while those of #aiwan, a country not recognized by all E" member states, can travel to Europe visa free. #he European &ommission, in charge of carrying through the visa liberalization process for those who want to travel within the chengen 7one, keeps putting off the process for Kosovo ! keeping only the -.- million citizens of Kosovo subject to long, e*pensive and often humiliating application processes, with an appro*imate /(8 visa refusal rate, the highest in the region. -. 9n top of the list is that Kosovars face the highest interest rates in the region with particularly lengthy application and approval rates. $oreign investors ask the return investment be up to '08: banks hold that there is high risk due to lack of economic and political stability. 4eanwhile, the business and agricultural sector are at the greatest disadvantage in developing and e*panding, while they are key to Kosovo,s overall economic development. /. .orrisome and damaging is the fact that Kosovo is almost entirely absent from the virtual world. .hile Kosovo is the leader in the Balkans in terms of internet usage, as it has over half a million )nternet subscribers, their web benefits and advantages are limited. Kosovars are trapped in the )nternet ; they cannot purchase a book at Amazon.com since Kosovo has not been granted )% addresses and <)%E European )% =etwork membership, or any other online purchase, and can,t even do a bank transfer since Kosovo does not even have an )BA= 3)nternational Bank Account =umber6 code. >. %otentially, Kosovars can register and use online websites by registering through another country. But immediately it appears as an unsustainable solution since data on telephone and postal codes need to be provided. And Kosovo also hasn,t been licensed a country phone code by the )nternational #elecommunications "nion, which operates as part of the "=. Kosovo has around '.' million mobile and ?(,((( landline phone customers, but for landline it has to uses the code of erbia, and the two mobile operators use 4onaco and lovenia. 9n top of it, with illegal erbian mobile operators in the north of Kosovo, it looses around -((,((( potential consumers. All these facts bear great repercussions for Kosovo,s budget.

0. #ravel wise, Kosovars pay double or triple airlines prices than any other country in Europe as flights from &entral and =orth Europe to Kosovo must travel and an additional -(( nautical miles and /( minutes in order to land in %rishtina Airport, as Kosovo is not a member of the )nternational 9rganization for &ivil Aviation, which makes it difficult for Kosovo to have an influence on having its airspace open. #his means additional e*penses for airline companies for gas and higher tickets for those traveling to and from Kosovo 3Kosovo,s air space has been closed down since '555 and only low corridor flights through 4acedonia can be used6. @. )f traveling by car, Kosovars have to pay insurance for each country individually since Kosovo is not a member of #he &ouncil of Bureau* 3&9BA6, which would allow it to benefit on vehicle insurances. $or e*ample, upon entering Breece, an individual pays '?( Euros for insurance for only '0 days, while other countries use a green card insurance for any country they enter. C. 9ne of the most damaging issues in the past two years has been the fact that Kosovo has been denied to e*port in two countries in the region, erbia and Bosnia and 2erzegovina, as well as transit of its good through them ; while they are all members of &E$#A, the &entral European $ree #rade Agreement, which guarantees open, free trade without custom barriers when importing or e*porting raw materials and finished products. #his came about when after independence: Kosovo authorities introduced its own customs stamps, which were refused by the erbian customs and ta* administration, as well as from Bosnia and 2erzegovina. Bosnia began charging Kosovo businesses a full customs tariff, which places them in an unfavorable position that often discourages many Kosovo companies from e*porting to Bosnia altogether. 9n top of it, Kosovo,s economy suffers since it losses potential to attract foreign investors, who get discouraged to invest in Kosovo as it cannot offer access to the entire regional market free of tariffs. ?. Kosovars, opportunities for studying abroad are just as limited ; even though Kosovo has begun implementing the Bologna process, it is still far from becoming am e+ual, full partner in the process 3mainly due to the fact that Kosovo is not a member of the &ouncil of Europe6. #his diminished Kosovars, opportunities to apply and study at various European educational programs, benefit from scholarship, fellowship and e*change programs and opportunities, and Kosovar educational diplomas are not recognized at many worldwide institutions. 9nly a few manage to attend international programs, which are generally mainly aimed at youth from the region, and as such, more scarce in terms of variety and number of programs. 5. 9n a different note, Kosovo,s sports teams and individuals are denied competition at international levels as Kosovo is being rejected from the )nternational 9lympic &ommittee. A few determined individuals have made it, but only by representing leagues of other countries. '(. #he last issue on the $%&,s list of D'( things that complicate our livesE lists the fact that Kosovo citizens do not have access in the European &ourt of 2uman <ights since it is not a member of the &ouncil of Europe. o if human rights of Kosovar citizens are violated, whether in Kosovo or any other country, they cannot seek justice in the highest court in Europe. #here,s more to the fact that these barriers are frustrating, and time and resource consuming for Kosovars. )t is about the fact that Kosovo,s opportunities to develop its economic and social potential are being halted from the very start. An average Kosovar, overwhelmed with restrictions on travel, educational development, benefits from technology, economic and business e*change and growth, has limited opportunities to become competitive with 4ontenegrins, 4acedonians and erbs in the regional race. #he smaller the number of recognitions, the greater the list that complicate our lives. o if Kosovo is encouraged and e*pected to move toward a European perspective, that the means through which it can develop and progress should be opened.