International authorities oppose the closure of Serbian-backed structures during the election campaign, saying it is in violation of Kosovo's obligations.
The European Union, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom criticized the actions of the Kosovo security authorities, who, in a large-scale police operation, closed the offices of ten parallel municipalities and several other Serbian institutions in Kosovo. In a reaction, the EU said that "Kosovo's actions to close down structures supported by Serbia at a time of campaigning for the parliamentary elections on February 9 are in contradiction with its obligations on the path towards the European Union within the framework of the normalization process". The European Union also emphasizes that "the issue of structures supported by Serbia is expected to be resolved within the framework of the dialogue facilitated by the European Union". Therefore, in this line, the EU warned the Kosovo authorities that Wednesday's action "may influence the decision not to lift the punitive measures against Kosovo".
Ambassador Bajrami: There are no structures supported by Serbia
The European Union responded with a clarification from Kosovo's ambassador to Brussels, Agron Bajrami, who wrote in X: "There are no structures supported by Serbia in Kosovo, these were illegal structures run by Serbia. There is no agreement that determines the negotiations for the future of these structures. The Kosovo Police operation has not caused tensions."
Germany in line with the EU
The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, fully agrees with the EU's reaction to the decision of the Kosovo security authorities, although in principle he also says that these structures should be abolished. "Let me be clear: We agree in principle that such parallel structures should be abolished. But the way to do this must be comprehensive. With actions like these today, you do not win the hearts of the people affected by this," Ambassador Rohde wrote on the X platform, sharing the EU's reaction. Kosovo and Serbia had reached an agreement in 2013 to abolish Serbia's parallel institutions, an agreement reached within the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations. But this agreement has not yet been fully implemented.
US Embassy: The decision was contrary to...
The US embassy in Pristina was more forceful in its response, reminding Pristina officials that the move to close down parallel structures was against the best American advice. "These actions, contrary to our best advice, undermine trust in the relationship and limit our ability to help Kosovo secure a better and brighter future for all its citizens," the US embassy in Kosovo said. According to the US response, "the closure of Serbian-run institutions directly and negatively affects the citizens of Kosovo, ethnic Serbs and other communities and could undermine Kosovo's aspirations to join the Euro-Atlantic community."
British Embassy "concerned"
The British embassy also announced in a response that "the United Kingdom is concerned by the actions of the Kosovo authorities" that closed several institutions supported by Serbia. It urges the Kosovo government "to ensure that such actions are carried out in accordance with its legal framework, but also to take into account the fact that many ordinary Kosovo Serbs, including the most vulnerable, continue to depend on these institutions for services". The response further states that "there must be constructive engagement, by the governments of Serbia and Kosovo, through EU-facilitated dialogue, including the full implementation of the Brussels agreements", which include the creation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, which according to the British is the best way to address these issues.
Punitive measures
The European Union has imposed punitive measures against Kosovo in 2023, precisely because of, as they say, the uncoordinated actions of the government in the north of the country inhabited by a Serb majority and because of the ongoing tensions in this part of the country. In the 2024 European Council conclusions on enlargement, it was stated that "the EU will gradually lift the measures against Kosovo in parallel with additional steps taken by Kosovo to reduce tensions in the north."
Meanwhile, the Basic Prosecution Office of Pristina, in its response, announced that "it has not been asked to authorize the police operation to close down parallel Serbian municipalities."
Lack of coordination between the police and the prosecution
The police, on the other hand, say that "the operation was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Local Government Administration", and that its purpose was "to interrupt Serbia's illegal services in Kosovo". According to the Kosovo government, the functioning of Serbia's parallel structures in Kosovo has been illegal for 25 years. The Minister of Local Government Administration of Kosovo, Elbert Krasniqi, said after the police action that "as of today, the 28 parallel, criminal municipalities of Serbia in Kosovo and their five districts are finally closed".
Serbian authorities, for their part, said that "the development of the situation in Kosovo" is being followed carefully. Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević stated that "we will take all measures to protect the Serbian population from the new attacks of Albin Kurti, who, according to him, "has turned his pre-election campaign into a continuation of the mistreatment of our people."
Kosovo authorities have been closing down parallel Serbian institutions since January 2024 - which included parallel municipalities, Serbian Post offices and most recently Serbian tax offices. /DW/ (A2 Televizion)
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