The European Union (EU) will invest EUR 70 million by 2013 in a program to repatriate persons from Western European countries to Kosovo.

The Kosovo authorities said Monday that reintegration of persons returning to Kosovo was an important moment in the dialog with EU countries on visa liberalization. Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Redzepi said that the whole inter-institutional mechanism to reintegrate returnees was functional and that it was constantly increasing.

At the 11th meeting of the working group for liberalization of the EU visa regime, held in Pristina, Redzepi said that the relevant EU assistance for the 2011-2013 period would amount to EUR 70 million and that 30 percent of the sum would be used for implementing the criteria for visa liberalization process.