Several people have voiced their fears to me in the last few days that the international community is not going to provide a clear cut decision on status but is going to offer some sort of conditional status that leaves Kosovo in limbo for another few years. So many economic issues cannot be solved until it is decided whether Kosovo is a country (and could give sovereign guarantees for loans), assets can be handed over to the government which can then decide to privatise them or not. Investors need to know with whom they are dealing in the longer term and that there will be stability.
Some sort of a fudge will be a disaster. I suppose the Contact Group is trying to prevent Kosovo being used as a precedent in South Ossetia etc, but Russia will choose to interpret any solution in its favour whether it is justified in international law or not.
In the meantime, the EU is setting up the organisation which will take over from UNMIK in Pristina. I am feeling like an employment agency as I pass out information to people who want to apply for the local jobs and I decide who I can reasonably write references for. There is general cynicism that posts will go to those with connections, despite the apparent EU recruitment procedures.
People haven't much idea of what the jobs mean (eg Communications Officer, when their experience is mainly no internal communication at all) and all the over-20s have had their education and job experience interrupted. Only people who have worked abroad have much experience of a normal working environment. It's hard to advise people what they might do when too many people are chasing too many jobs.
In the ministry they earn 200 Euros a month, which is considered a pittance for serious work. One woman pays 100 Euros for her childminder and so is practically working for nothing.
Another 5 years of conditional independence will remove any hope of change and could prove explosive.
