| Population : 1.803 million (2011)
Capital: Prishtina Area: 4,203 square miles (10,887 square kilometers) Ethnicity:
Language: Albanian, Serbian, regional languages Religion: Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Evangelical Christian Currency: Euro Average Life Expectancy: 64 PovertyAccording to reports from the UNDP and other international organisations, about 37% of the population lives in poverty — below the line of 1.42 euros a day — and over 17% lives in extreme poverty — below the line of 93 euro cents a day. DemographyKosovo has one of the youngest populations in Europe, with 50% under the age of 25 years and 40% under 18 years of age |
In early 1998 large-scale fighting broke out in Kosovo, formerly an autonomous region within Serbia, between the Serbian government and Kosovar ethnic Albanians seeking independence. Although a ceasefire was agreed in October 1998 to allow refugees to find shelter and a European verification mission was deployed, violence continued. A peace conference, held in Paris, broke up on 19 March 1999 with the refusal of the Serbian delegation to accept the proposed settlement.
On 24 March, NATO forces led by Britain and the United States began air attacks on Serbia – transforming NATO from a defensive to an offensive alliance. With the humanitarian crisis deepening, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke of his “profound outrage” at reports of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo by Serb forces.
Several countries, including the UK, made pledges of aid to help the thousands of refugees who fled Serbian attacks in Kosovo. From 1999 to 2008 the province was administered by the UN, after enduring a conflict fuelled by ethnic division and repression.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. The territory immediately won recognition from the United Kingdom, United States and major European Union countries. The European Union launched its mission to strengthen the rule of law in Kosovo, after months of delay. Nearly 2,000 officials took over police, justice and customs duties from United Nations staff.
Serbia rejected Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February and still regards Kosovo as one of its provinces, but it has accepted the new EU mission.
The UN left Kosovo after more than a decade in charge, retaining only a small political role. The UN mission, Unmik, was in charge in Kosovo from 1999 – the year that a Nato bombing campaign triggered a withdrawal of Serb forces, who had been widely condemned for human rights abuses.
Eulex is the EU’s biggest-ever mission operating across all of Kosovo. The 1,900 international officials are supported by about 1,100 local staff.
The EU oversees the running of the police, the courts and the customs service.
The aim is to help the authorities deal with corruption and organised crime. Eulex activities include war crimes investigations, tracking down missing people and measures to curb people trafficking.
