The Mitrovica Joint Board held its first meeting on Thursday, attended by representatives of North and South Mitrovica and members of the acting Government of Kosovo.
The meeting was chaired by the acting Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, in the capacity of the representative of the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
According to Krasniqi, this board establishes "a new model of institutional cooperation that aims to improve the daily lives of citizens."
According to the acting Government of Kosovo, this board has a special importance for the cooperation between these two municipalities.
Its formation, according to the executive, was done in accordance with the Law on Administrative Boundaries of Municipalities.
"Through coordination in key areas such as infrastructure, environment, economic development and municipal services, this Board will provide a concrete mechanism for the implementation of joint projects and building mutual trust. With equal participation from both municipalities and under the chairmanship of the representative of the Prime Minister, this cooperation is proof of commitment to the interest of all citizens, without any distinction," the announcement said.
The Law on Administrative Boundaries of Municipalities stipulates that the Mitrovica Board will consist of 11 members. Five members will be from the two municipalities and one from the executive.
The law was amended in 2012, as in the first version, the chairman of the Board was envisaged to be an international civilian representative. However, with the end of international supervision of Kosovo's independence, this law, like several other laws, was amended.
The Board, according to the law, is constituted within a certain time frame after the constitution of the municipal assemblies of the respective municipalities "and will develop functional cooperation based on the agreement of the municipalities".
"In the event that the Board is not constituted within a certain period of time, the Chairman of the Board shall exercise the functions specified in paragraph 2 of Article 7 of this law until the Board is constituted," the law states.
It is led by the Chairman of the Board who is appointed by the Prime Minister, in this case the acting Minister, Elbert Krasniqi.
Kurti was present at the first meeting of the Board and said that the formalization of this board is "an important task."
"He thanked the Mayor of South Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza, and the Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, for their proposals for members of this Board. Prime Minister Kurti congratulated the members on their new duties and wished them much success and good and fruitful work, while pledging full support in the face of the challenges they may face," the Government's announcement said.
The meeting of this board was held two days after Kurti stayed in these two municipalities, where he held meetings with the two mayors.
The creation of the Municipality of North Mitrovica was foreseen in the Ahtisaari Plan that led to Kosovo's declaration of independence. However, this municipality was made official in 2013, after the Brussels Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.
The municipality of South Mitrovica is inhabited by an Albanian majority, while the northern municipality is inhabited by a Serb majority./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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