EU - Community Stabilization Programme

IOM Kosovo continues to implement the EU Community Stabilisation Programme IV (EU-CSP IV) on behalf of the European Union Office in Kosovo. The programme activities will build upon previous efforts of the IOM, the EU and the Government of Kosovo to improve the social and economic conditions of vulnerable non-majority groups in Kosovo. Similar programmes have run from 2002 to 20019 and this new phase of programming builds upon these successes. 

The first three phases of the EU-Community Stabilization Programme (EU-CSP  I ,II and III) have been carried out from 2010 to 2019, supporting about 900 new and existing micro-enterprises and contributing to the implementation of individual and community development projects, thereby creating and securing hundreds of jobs and providing business skills training to over 500 beneficiaries.

To enhance the employment prospects of the targeted communities, the programme will provide technical assistance and productive business assets to aspiring entrepreneurs and will support on-going or start-up ventures. The programme will enhance their sustainability and maximize their potential for growth, contributing to the stabilization of the socio-economic situation of these communities. Support will also be granted to community-based project initiatives that benefit the wider community as well as to local associations, both business and agricultural.

EU-CSP IV will continue to be implemented in close coordination with the European Union, Kosovo’s Ministry for Communities and Returns, municipal officials and local stakeholders.

What is EU-CSP IV exactly doing?

• Provide mobile outreach to non-majority community beneficiaries;
• Disseminate programme information through leaflets, local media, newsletters, and online presence;
• Engage with associations and individuals in the target municipalities active in the key economic sectors identified;
• Provide support to non-majority and inter-ethnic business associations to leverage economies of scale for groups of producers;
• Facilitate contacts between supported producers and processors as well as majority value chain actors; 
• Select new and operational enterprises to be supported and Distribute assistance to selected enterprises to upgrade and fill value chain or market gaps;
• Provide regular monitoring, evaluation, and ongoing support of selected enterprises;
• Coordinate with MOCR and community leaders/representatives to identify needs in their respective communities;
• Select and implement inter-ethnic community level projects in coordination with local authorities to ensure ownership and sustainability of intervention;
• Identification, selection and implementation of social inclusion initiatives;

The 30-month programme will target non-majority communities in all 38 municipalities of Kosovo, where non-majority groups are particularly affected by unemployment and poverty. Included are the Albanian communities living in those municipalities with a predominantly Serbian population in Northern Kosovo. Support will also be specifically oriented towards assisting members of the returnee communities, including those from various phases of the EU-RRK programming, as well as members of their communities of return.

The overall objective of the EU-CSP Phase IV is to facilitate the creation of an inclusive multi-ethnic society in Kosovo, through socio-economic stability and community development initiatives and viable income and employment creation with full access to all communities in Kosovo ensuring their sustainable (re)integration, promoting durable community stability and cohesion, and reducing migration push factors.

The specific objective:

1. To create income-generating opportunities for non-majority communities throughout the value chain in key economic sectors in Kosovo thereby enhancing their (re) integration prospects.
2. To improve social inclusion and resilience of disadvantaged communities through stimulating tailored inter-ethnic community initiatives that contribute to trust building and reconciliation.

The final beneficiaries:

 All residents of Kosovo will benefit from a more inclusive, formalized and stable, economy as well as access to new products, services, and community development supported through the project.