UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 8, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 321 new cases, five deaths (media)
• Ministry of Health insists it has secured Pfizer vaccine (media)
• Vetevendosje says Constitutional Court ruling is not about Kurti (Koha)
• CEC announces a ten-day campaign for extraordinary elections (media)
• Rama: Two KSF units to be deployed to peacekeeping missions (RFE)
• Petkovic's visit clashes PM Hoti and FM Haradinaj-Stublla (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• 13 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Over 30 families from Mitrovica North got new apartments on Christmas Eve (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Serbia is doing its best to strengthen health care system in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Specialist Prosecution: Thaci undermined court, we are not in favor of lifting detention (Radio KIM)
• Vucic: Serbian people face hard challenges (N1)
• Fabrizi hopes Serbia could open more chapters in 2021 (N1, Blic)
• Serb house in Babin Most burglarized (KIM Radio)

Opinion:

• Stop using the Balkans as a synonym for chaos (Prishtina Insight)

International:

• Balkans feel abandoned as vaccinations kick off in Europe (AP)
• Thirteen countries call on EU to support Eastern Partnership vaccine efforts (EurActiv)
• Serbia Starts Inoculations With Russia's Sputnik-V Vaccine (RFE)
• COVID vaccine: EU orders 300 million more BioNTech-Pfizer doses (DW)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kosovo: Infant-toddler centres and preschools are not yet a priority (Balcanicaucaso)

• COVID – 19: 322 new cases, nine deaths (media)
• Kosovo parliamentary election to be held on February 14 (Prishtina Insight)
• Kosovo ‘should rethink Serbia agreements’ with Biden in power (Balkan Insight)
• Gucati, Haradinaj to appear before Specialist Chambers today (media)
• Kurteshi: Kurti will be part of Vetevendosje’s list in new elections (Kallxo)
• Haradinaj: AAK aims for post of President in the elections (media)
• Poll: Vetevendosje has 41.10 percent, PDK 20.80 percent (media)
• “Very small chances for Kosovo to get visa liberalisation this year” (media)

• COVID-19: 218 new cases, five deaths (media)
• Assembly gives green light to KSF participating in peacekeeping operations (media)
• Constitutional Court to publish decision, elections on 7 or 14 February (Koha)
• Veliu’s remarks on Osmani draw sharp criticism (media)
• MP Haxhi Avdyli dismissed from all functions in LDK (media)
• Von Cramon: EU and U.S. to speak in one voice about Kosovo (Klan)
• EU court rejected Spain's lawsuit against European Commission on Kosovo (Koha)
• More than 40 people injured in a gas tank blast in Ferizaj (media)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 5, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID – 19: 199 new cases, four new deaths (media)
• Kosovo ensures 500 thousand anti-COVID vaccines from Pfizer (media)
• Mustafa ironizes with Osmani’s statement on her eventual return to LDK (RTK)
• Osmani outlines political future (Prishtina Insight)
• Dialogue with Serbia on 2020 Seen as Failure in Kosovo (Exit.al)
• Assembly extraordinary session for sending KSF on missions with Iowa National Guard, today (media)
• Hoxhaj: Presevo Valley will be the main issue in the dialogue with Serbia (media)
• AKR to compete in elections with LDK? (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 19 new cases of Covid-19, one death registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Vucic: Forthcoming not an easy year of fight with coronavirus, pressures on the issues related to Kosovo and Republika Srpska (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Selakovic: Belgrade for the continuation of a serious and effective dialogue (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)
• Stano: The dialogue continues despite the elections in Kosovo; Belgrade and Pristina to cooperate on vaccines (Kontakt plus radio, Tanjug)
• Tanaskovic: It would be no surprise that Pristina bypasses Washington agreement (N1, Sputnik)
• “Diary of a Decani monk 1903-1906“ published – original records and documents from the monastery archives (KoSSev)
• Sava Janjic: To reconstruct shrines destroyed after the war (Kosovo-online)
• Yet another complaint filed on decision to ban Arlov from entering Kosovo (Radio KIM)

Opinion:

• EU cannot ignore history in Balkans enlargement (euobserver.com)

International:

• Flawed Cybersecurity Is a Ticking Time Bomb for the Balkans (foreignpolicy.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Year in Pictures: 2020 in the Balkans and Central Europe (Balkan Insight)
• Heartwarming harmony as Balkan tensions set aside in Croatia’s hour of need after deadly earthquake (euronews.com)

• COVID – 19: 169 new cases, 7 new deaths (media)
• EU calls on Kosovo, Serbia to cooperate on vaccination (RFE)
• Albania to donate 1,900 vaccines for doctors in Kosovo (Gazeta Express)
• “COVID destroyed Kosovo’s economy; recovery will take 2 years” (media)
• Osmani: LDK presidency must leave before we can talk about my return (media)
• Kuci: Press release by SPO for Thaci was purely political (media)
• Serbia-affiliated power company eyes supplying north Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

• COVID-19: 260 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Zemaj: COVID-19 vaccines to reach Kosovo in February (RTK)
• Hoti: If Serbia pursued legal ways, vaccines would be allowed into Kosovo (Klan)
• Di Maio: EU should buy vaccines for Balkans (ANSA/Koha)
• LDK announces Avdullah Hoti as candidate for prime minister (media)
• Hoti: LDK is main favourite to win elections (media)
• Hoxhaj: Kurti and Hoti governments brought degradation in Kosovo (Telegrafi)
• Konjufca: Hoti and Hoxhaj together have fewer votes than LVV's Haxhiu (T7/Telegrafi)
• Osmani's initiative in coalition talks with Vetevendosje (Klan)
• Rama: KLA leaders being kept hostage (media)
• UK Embassy sends protest note to Ministry of Education over €1.8 million bid (Koha)

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID – 19: 234 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Kosovo requests from Italy help to ensure anti-COVID-19 vaccines (media)
• Osmani and Kurti discussed political situation with Viola Von Cramon (media)
• Osmani: Time has come for our soldiers to contribute to foreign peacekeeping forces (media)
• Hoxhaj: I am certain PDK will lead with future government (RTK)
• Musliu: PDK does not have any red lines even for LVV (media)
• AAK will run on its own in the elections (media)
• Ramadani expects anti-COVID vaccines to arrive in Kosovo by March (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• In Serbian communities in Kosovo 26 newly infected (KoSSev)
• Jevtic not satisfied with the return process, 273 people returned this year (KoSSev)
• KLI report: There is a culture of impunity in Kosovo, most of the accused politicians belong to PDK (KoSSev)
• Ambassador Djuric: We want the United States to be a part of Serbia's recovery (B92, Politika)
• Office for KiM: Pristina is creating a climate in which attacks on Serbs are permissible (Kosovo-online)
• Russian Ambassador says vaccine to arrive in Serbia soon (N1, B92)
• Vucic offers help to Croatia following earthquake (BETA, N1)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation industry suffer the most damage during the pandemic, the IT sector the least (KoSSev)
• Trajkovic: Veton Surroi, Kosovo's new leader (Kosovo Online)

International:

• Kosovo Is Losing Its Biggest Supporter In Congress; But It May Be Too Early For Serbia To Celebrate (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Two police officers suspended after video of an assault (Prishtina Insight)
• Unequal Damage, Fair Recovery? (Kosovo 2.0)

• COVID – 19: 139 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• Kosovo Assembly adopts 2021 budget (media)
• Daka: These elections will be more costly (Koha)
• Kurti on new elections: People have already decided who to vote for (media)
• LDK meets today, to decide on its candidate for Prime Minister (media)
• Acting PDK leader Enver Hoxhaj to visit Albania today (media)
• “Biden will push for Association and Mini-Schengen in the dialogue” (Telegrafi)
• Pacolli’s advisor: We need to know exact date when vaccines will arrive (media)
• Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Haradinaj: KSF Search and rescue unit to be deployed to Croatia (media)
• In Muslim region of Serbia, Ottoman-era mosques perish (Balkan Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 29, 2020

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 109 new cases, eight deaths (media)
• Osmani: Anti-COVID vaccines, only after April (Radio Free Europe)
• NISMA in coalition talks with PDK (media)
• Abrashi: We paid special attention to implementation of Washington agreement (KP/Klan)
• Weber: Thaci’s departure from politics to be seen as collapse of post-war political elite (Koha)
• Following resignation, Cakaj denies joining election race in Kosovo (Indeksonline)

Serbian Language Media:

• In Serbian communities in Kosovo 30 new cases of Covid-19, one death (Kontakt plus radio)
• European Commission aid package to help Western Balkans with vaccination (N1)
• Serbian government pandemic Crisis Staff bans New Year celebrations (N1, FoNet)
• Jevtic: Repanovic family house in Osojane robbed for the seventh time (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic on Serwer: I do not play with meaningless statements (Kosovo-online)

Opinion:

• COVID-19 only exacerbated Kosovo education’s preexisting conditions (Prishtina Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Strong magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Croatia (aljazeera.com)

• COVID – 19: 181 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• Government doesn’t want Serbia’s help for anti-COVID vaccine (Lajmi)
• Serb doctors in the north refused vaccines from Serbia (Kallxo)
• Vaccines with a political dose in the north (Radio Free Europe)
• Kosovo Assembly adopts 2021 draft budget in first reading (media)
• PDK MP: We voted in favor of 2021 budget, although it’s not the best (media)
• “Kurti 2 government in February, we will have majority in parliament” (media)
• Hoti: LDK candidates for PM not chosen in TV studios (media)
• Osmani aims President, Assembly President posts from coalition with VV (Koha)
• LDK, VV clash over diaspora voters in CEC meeting (Express)
• COVID – 19 vaccination kicks off in Central, Eastern Europe (Balkan Insight)
• Engel: Kosovo, Albania will always have a special place in my heart (media)