Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 80 new cases, one death (media)
• Zemaj: WHO remains Kosovo’s strategic partner in battling COVID-19 pandemic (media)
• Thaci meets Lajcak: We discussed final agreement, including mutual recognition (media)
• Lajcak meets heads of international organisations in Kosovo (media)
• Lajcak meets leaders of political parties (media)
• State Department hails Kosovo-Serbia cooperation in Merdare (RTK)
• Grenell: Merdare border crossing becomes operational thanks to Trump (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• 14 new cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio) 
• Petkovic: The only way to move the dialogue from the deadlock is for Pristina to fulfill its obligations (RTS)
• Simic: Pristina’s refusal to form the ZSO threatens the survival of Serbs in Kosovo (TV Prva, Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
• Popovic: Albanians underrate the EU (Kosovo Online, TV Pink, Tanjug)
• Milivojevic: Belgrade has full right to get out of Brussels agreement (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic: Serbia didn’t change stance on Kosovo following Washington agreement (Sputnik)
• Lajcak cautious about Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process (N1)
• Vucic tells Russian Ambassador gas pipeline to be completed this year (N1, Beta)
• Merdare: Serbian personnel started work in new premises (Radio KIM)
• Dacic: Gratitude to Ukraine for principled stance not to recognize Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Economic empowerment of women crucial for prevention of gender-based violence (media)
• Serbian “herd immunity” (BETA, B92)
• Civil Society Filled a Void in the Balkan Pandemic (Balkan Insight)
• Report: Global Internet Freedom Declines in Shadow of Pandemic (freedomhouse.com)
• Femart’s 8th edition celebrates resilience and solidarity in challenging times (Prishtina Insight)
• Three KelKos hydropower plants no longer licensed (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media 

COVID-19: 80 new cases, one death (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health announced today that 80 new cases of COVID-19 and one death were recorded in the last 24 hours.

55 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. The highest number of cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (17).

Zemaj: WHO remains Kosovo’s strategic partner in battling COVID-19 pandemic (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj met today Abebayehu Assefa Mengistu, WHO coordinator for Balkans and Moldova. Zemaj said WHO remains Kosovo’s strategic partner in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Zemaj thanked the WHO for supporting Kosovo institutions, particularly in efforts to prepare the manual for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 as well as through donations, including the recent testing equipment.

Zemaj said that Kosovo is building alliances with WHO and other partners to secure the COVID-19 vaccine, when available. 

Thaci meets Lajcak: We discussed final agreement, including mutual recognition (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said that he and EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak discussed today in Prishtina the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia including mutual recognition. “I can say that our discussion was fair, constructive and an open and friendly discussion to find ways of reaching a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia that would include mutual recognition and Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations,” Thaci told reporters after the meeting.

Thaci called on the EU to move faster on visa liberalisation for the citizens of Kosovo. “Kosovo’s only future is to be part of NATO and the European Union, and in this respect the EU needs to move much faster on visa liberalisation because I believe this is an injustice and punishment. Kosovo has met all the criteria. I believe the time has come for the European Union too to table the possibility of mutual recognition, because this needs to be the first point of the agreement. I want to believe that only mutual recognition can guarantee stability in the region and friendship between our countries and that it can guarantee peace. At the meeting I had with Lajcak in Brussels we discussed the same topics. In Washington too. I was also in Paris two days ago. I see there is coordination between the EU and the United States. It is a good and encouraging sign to be united in the face of Serbia. This would also lead to economic development,” he said.

Lajcak meanwhile tweeted: “Had a very good and extremely insightful conversation with President @HashimThaciRKS. We agreed that Kosovo needs the Dialogue and needs a comprehensive agreement.”

Lajcak meets heads of international organisations in Kosovo (media)

In his second day of visit to Kosovo, the EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met heads of international organisations in Kosovo.

“Kicked off day 2 with a breakfast with the international organizations in Kosovo. I briefed them on where we stand in the ??-facilitated Dialogue and listened to their views and assessments as the eyes and ears in Kosovo,” he tweeted.

Lajcak meets leaders of political parties (media)

The EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak held separate meetings in Pristina today with leaders of opposition parties, Albin Kurti from the Vetevendosje Movement (VV) and Kadri Veseli from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Veseli is quoted to have said in the meeting that PDK supports the process of dialogue with Serbia and that it is the only party to have proposed a platform on the issue. Veseli noted that the final agreement with Serbia is in Kosovo’s strategic interest as it would enable it to join the EU and the UN. “The position of the EU special representative Miroslav Lajcak is encouraging,” Veseli said according to a press release issued by his party. He also spoke about the need for the EU to have direct coordination with the U.S. 

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo supports only a comprehensive and final agreement that is in line with the already presented platform which guarantees mutual recognition, state sovereignty, territorial integrity, unified character of the country and Kosovo’s membership in the UN.”

Lajcak did not comment on the meetings saying that he will speak to reporters at the end of his visit, tomorrow.

Today, he is also set to meet leaders of other political parties in Kosovo, inlcuding Ramush Haradinaj from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Fatmir Limaj from the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA), and Behgjet Pacolli from the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR).

State Department hails Kosovo-Serbia cooperation in Merdare (RTK)

The U.S. State Department has welcomed the cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia at the crossing point in Merdare where the customs and police forces of the two parties have begun working in one facility.

“We applaud Serbia’s agreement to staff Merdare and Kosovo and Serbia’s commitments to implementing agreements made at the @WhiteHouse on Sept 4. The secure and efficient flow of goods, services and people will open doors to increased prosperity and stability in Serbia and Kosovo,” Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the State Department wrote on Twitter.

Grenell: Merdare border crossing becomes operational thanks to Trump (Klan)

The U.S. envoy for Kosovo-Serbia negotiations Richard Grenell thanked the U.S. President Donald Trump for his contribution to the Washington agreement between Kosovo and Serbia and the recent move by Serbian authorities to expand the border crossing point with Kosovo. 

The U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey said the staffing of the Merdare border crossing will help the growth of regional trade and commerce which he said is at the core of the September 4 Agreement for normalisation of economic relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “This is an important step forward for prosperity and stability,” Godfrey said. 

Grenell commented on Godfrey’s post: “Big move. Thanks to @realDonaldTrump, Serbia makes Merdare border crossing operational.” He also thanked President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.

Serbian Language Media

14 new cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio) 

The North Mitrovica Crisis Staff announced today that 14 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered, and three cured, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Out of 50 processed samples, one positive case was recorded in North Mitrovica, one in Zvecan, five in Gnjilane, four in Strpce and three in Kosovska Kamenica.

Three people recovered from the virus – in North Mitrovica, Zvecan and Strpce.

Currently, three people are hospitalized, and they are being treated at the Health Center in North Mitrovica.

There are 52 people in house isolation. Currently, 55 cases are active.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, a total of 5,488 people have been tested, of which 1,044 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

So far, a total of 290 patients have been registered in Serbian areas south of the Ibar.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, 38 people have died in Serbian communities in Kosovo.

Petkovic: The only way to move the dialogue from the deadlock is for Pristina to fulfill its obligations (RTS)

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic reacted sharply to the statement of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci that “the time has come for the EU to place on the table the possibility of mutual recognition”, reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

Petkovic said that it would have been more useful for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina if Hashim Thaci had informed EU Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak ”when he would enable the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), instead of giving him a list with wishes and fantasies about a mutual recognition and a membership of the self-proclaimed Kosovo to the UN.”

”Candidacy of topics that are not in the realm of the real will not help move the dialogue from the deadlock, and the only way to continue the process of normalization of relations, not only formally but essentially, is for Pristina to fulfill its obligations taken over seven and a half years ago and to finally stop obstructing the formation of the ZSO,” stated Petkovic, emphasized the announcement of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

Petkovic pointed out that, since Mr. Lajcak did not participate in Thaci’s propaganda program after the meeting, we were deprived of information on how the EU reacts to the fact that to Pristina meant nothing neither signatures on the agreements nor the given word, and added that soon it would be found out. 

Petkovic noted that Belgrade remained sincerely and unequivocally committed to dialogue and added that there could be no productive dialogue with “dishonest and unreliable interlocutors”, reported RTS.

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija pointed out that he was sure that Serbia would encounter the understanding of European partners.

“Pristina must enable the formation of the ZSO with all those competencies that belong to it under the Brussels agreements. Because, apart from the fact that neither we nor the EU representatives have time for Pristina’s whims, aither the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, have no more the will or strength to suffer neglect and humiliation by the Albanian political structures,” Petkovic said.

Simic: Pristina’s refusal to form the ZSO threatens the survival of Serbs in Kosovo (TV Prva, Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Pristina’s refusal to form the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), to which it committed itself in 2013, is a direct threat to the survival of Serbs in Kosovo, says the vice president of the Serbian List, Igor Simic, reported Serbian media. 

The delegation of the Serbian List will meet today with the EU special envoy for dialogue on Kosovo Miroslav Lajcak, and Simic said that political representatives of Serbs from Kosovo would repeat to Lajcak that the ZSO should be formed as soon as possible, but also a series of attacks on Serbs needed to stop, portal Kosovo Online quoted. 

Simic told Belgrade’s TV Prva that Pristina prolonged what it committed back in 2013, when the ZSO was in question, and stressed that the participation of political representatives of the Serbian people in Kosovo institutions depends on how the Pristina authorities are treating the Serbian people.

“From the moment Serbs entered Kosovo’s institutions, the red line was the protection of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, primarily by political means through institutions. Pristina now denies the obligations it agreed to through the Brussels agreement. It is a direct threat to the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Simic.

Reacting to the statement of the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti, that there are no individual agreements until an agreement on mutual recognition was concluded, Simic said that the participation of Serb political representatives in Pristina institutions depended on how the authorities in Pristina treat the Serbian people.

“This is not a threat as some are stating in Pristina, this is well-intentioned advice, because Pristina’s obligations stem not only from the Brussels agreement, but also from the decisions of the Kosovo government, and also the Kosovo Assembly, which obliged the Kosovo institutions to form the ZSO by a two-thirds majority,” said Simic.

Popovic: Albanians underrate the EU (Kosovo Online, TV Pink, Tanjug)

The president of the municipality of Gracanica and a member of the presidency of the Serbian List Srdjan Popovic says that it is worrying that the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), which is very important for the Serbian people in Kosovo, was not formed even after seven and a half years. 

Popovic stated that Albanians underrate the EU, which was the guarantor of the Brussels Agreement, and do not respect what they sign.

As he stated, the fact that the Serbian people are not allowed to organize and protect their biological survival in Kosovo is worrying.

“It is unbelievable that the EU cannot influence the Albanians to form the ZSO. The Pristina side has not fulfilled any of its obligations, while on the other side we have done everything,” Popovic told Belgrade’s TV Pink.

“Our president Aleksandar Vucic extended his hand, showed that we want to work for peace and stability in areas where it is very necessary. On the other hand, there is no understanding of Albanians for that,” said Popovic.

He notes that now it can be seen that the EU has no mechanisms to force Albanians to implement what they have signed.

Asked what the announcement means that Serbs will withdraw from Pristina’s institutions if the international community does not implement the Brussels agreement, Popovic said that it was a difficult but responsible step towards the Serbian people in Kosovo, but that there was no other kind of means of struggle. 

”In Gracanica, people thought that with the formation of the ZSO, many things would change in terms of security. That feeling of insecurity shows that we cannot build our future there. I do not see that there is any other solution,” Popovic concluded.

Milivojevic: Belgrade has full right to get out of Brussels agreement (Kosovo-online)

Retired Serbian diplomat Zoran Milivojevic said the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO) is a red line, the continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue depends on it, adding there is no chance for Serbian side to agree to any revision of the original agreement, as well as that Belgrade has a right to get out of the agreement, because the other side didn’t respect it, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Milivojevic further told RTS the EU is getting back to the region somehow, and following six years of inactivity it now attempts to take over the position it considers being of strategic interest.

Asked if Brussels got late, Milivojevic responded they lost plenty of time.  

“They are not late if they have possibility, mechanism and political will to cut off this situation where we are now and enable continuation of the dialogue, respectively to make happen what they didn’t manage to make it happen due to the reasons unknown to us, and it is implementation of the Brussels agreement”, Milivojevic said.

He stressed that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is a red line and continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement depends on it.

He pointed out that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is a precondition for the remain and position of the Serbian people in Kosovo, adding it would not be possible to continue the dialogue in a qualitative manner without it.

Commenting on EU Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak upcoming visit to Belgrade, following the stay in Pristina, Milivojevic said he is not optimistic about what Lajcak would bring about.

“We shall see what Lajcak would bring about, however, I am not optimistic because what preceded his visit to Pristina and Belgrade demonstrated that the EU has understanding for Pristina’s behavior. They act in a manner that brings status neutrality into question, and the EU would have to be status neutral”, Milivojevic said.

“If they say that solution should be sought on Pristina’s positions, that decisions of the Constitutional Court that bring into question the original agreement and what the ZSO is about should be adopted, it tells you that they have understanding for Pristina’s side and somehow they apply pressure on Serbia to accept it as well”, he added.

He underlined that ZSO in the original agreement, which is the only relevant one, has executive powers and guarantees the status of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

Milivojevic further said, Belgrade has the right to get out of the Brussels agreement, because the other side does not respect it.

“To leave institutions it joined by respecting provisions of the agreement from points 7 to 15. First six points of the agreement relate to ZSO.  And from points 7 to 15 were provisions that Serbia honored a long time ago, five years ago”, Milivojevic said.

He concluded that the international community, in particular the part supporting Pristina headed by Brussels is on the test now, the EU is on the test now if it is able to make happen what it stood for, since the EU same as parties in the agreement has an obligation to respect it, to respect itself. 

Vucic: Serbia didn’t change stance on Kosovo following Washington agreement (Sputnik)

Stance of Serbia on the Kosovo issue didn’t change following the agreement on normalization of economic relations signed in Washington, President Aleksandar Vucic told Russian media, Sputnik reports.

“When it comes to Serbia’s stance, it remains unchanged”, Vucic told the media. He stressed it was exclusively about economic normalization. “There is no single political moment in there”, Vucic said.

He added he is not overly optimistic when it comes to resolving political issues.

“Obviously there is a long, difficult fight awaiting us, I would even say a painful pursuit for a compromise, if it is possible at all”, he said.

He also recalled that Serbia didn’t sign a document by which Israel recognizes Kosovo, and Kosovo recognizes Israel.

“This is the difference between Serbian and Albanian versions of the signed documents. We didn’t sign the trilateral document”, Vucic said.

Vucic also noted Serbia never did nor will ever impose sanctions to Russia. “Despite the fact we were under pressure and we would probably be under pressure. We are on European path, but we will maintain our stance and we will not spoil relations with Russia”, he added.    

Lajcak cautious about Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process (N1)

European Union Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak expressed caution about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in an interview to Slovak daily Pravda, adding that the EU can’t speed up the process, regional broadcaster N1 reported.

”The EU is not interested in slowing down the process, but it also can’t speed it up,” he said.

Lajcak said that a solution could be found within months and added that the EU was not imposing an agreement. 

”The important thing for us is for the agreements between Belgrade and Pristina to bring them closer to the EU and for them to be based on European standards… The final document is intended to stabilize the region,” he said.

He said that a normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia would be a big relief for the Western Balkans. 

”Two years ago, we said that there are three big challenges in the region. The Macedonia name dispute is resolved and if we could continue normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia and then we could devote our full attention to how Bosnia-Herzegovina should function,” he said.

He said that the Union appreciated the good will of the Americans and their efforts but added that it was important to realize that the process had to be led by the EU as the final destination for both sides. 

”It’s clear that the US activities are also a reflection of the election calendar, but we welcome any help,” he said.

Vucic tells Russian Ambassador gas pipeline to be completed this year (N1, Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Russia’s Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Botsan Harchenko that the pipeline to supply natural gas to Serbia would be completed by the end of this year, the president’s cabinet said in a press release on Tuesday.

It added that they discussed agreements and projects in the energy industry as well as relations between the two countries, regional issues and the coronavirus pandemic with the ambassador informing the Serbian President about Russia’s work on a vaccine which the press release said would be made available to the Serbian public.

The press release said that they discussed the negotiations in Washington and Brussels with Kosovo officials.

See at: https://bit.ly/2STY91y

Merdare: Serbian personnel started work in new premises (Radio KIM)

Serbian personnel started to work in new premises at the administrative crossing point of Merdare, reconstructed with the EU funds, Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced Radio KIM reports.

As it was said “based on the Washington agreement, the capacities of the administrative crossing of Merdare, between central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija have been expanded, and Serbian personnel started to work in new premises”.

It was also said that Serbia strongly supports faster flow of people, goods, capital and services.

“We hope that in near future additional steps to achieve this goal will be undertaken, within the Mini-Schengen initiative that should make the region a better place for living and businesses. This remains a joint priority of the Serbian Government and the US Government”, the press statement said. 

Meanwhile, US Presidential Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Richard Grenell and US Ambassador to Serbia, Anthony Godfrey welcomed the expansion of the capacities in Merdare.

Grenell wrote on Twitter it is a big move and thanked President Aleksandra Vucic, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Big move. Thanks to @realDonaldTrump, Serbia makes Merdare border crossing operational. Thank you, @avucic”, Grenell wrote.

Ambassador Godfrey also wrote on Twitter “Great news! By staffing Merdare, Serbia will help grow regional trade and commerce, which is at the heart of the September 4 agreements signed @WhiteHouse. This is an important step forward for prosperity and stability. @RichardGrenell”.

Dacic: Gratitude to Ukraine for principled stance not to recognize Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic thanked yesterday Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Vasyl Bodnar for principled stance of his country not to recognize Kosovo and for the support to territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Bodnar visited Serbia and during the meeting with Dacic they discussed bilateral and multilateral cooperation and expressed commitment to further foster relations in all areas of mutual interest.

The importance of intensifying political dialogue was particularly highlighted, the same as fostering economic cooperation for which there is a huge unused potential, the Ministry said in a statement. 

Humanitarian/Development

Economic empowerment of women crucial for prevention of gender-based violence (media)

Women in Kosovo face two key challenges: slow implementation of law and domestic violence, participants of the consultative meeting on the topic of economic empowerment of women heard today in Pristina.

Panelists at the event, organised jointly by the Agency for Gender Equality within the Office of Kosovo Prime Minister and the Kosovo Centre for Gender Studies, emphasised that women in Kosovo remain underrepresented in the public sphere and that many of them have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Luljeta Demolli from the Kosovo Centre for Gender Studies said that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on women, peace, and security, and that women need to be represented at the peace negotiations process.

Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said there is progress in advancing the gender equality agenda but admitted that the situation on the ground is not satisfactory. 

Ulrika Richardson, UN Development Coordinator, spoke about advantages of greater involvement of women in economy. She said the COVID pandemic has had an impact on everyone, “on some more than others.” “We see that the majority of this category are women,” she said. 

Serbian “herd immunity” (BETA, B92)

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon stated that part of Serbian citizens had already been infected with Covid-19, meaning that a certain level of immunity already exists, B92 reports.

According to him, the Crisis Staff for the fight against this disease, of which he is a member, estimates that it is somewhere “between 15 and 20 percent”, adding it “should be measured”.

“Thanks to that, the situation is more favorable than when it all started. We now have much more awareness among people, so the transmission of the virus is slowing down, but it is still not enough to stop the growth of patients. The problem is that we have a lot of violations of the prescribed measures”, Kon said in an interview for today’s Politika daily edition.

He also said that the leap in the number of patients in Belgrade will be seen during this week, and he thinks that the total number of infected people in the whole of Serbia will be around 200 infected a day, “maybe some days that number will exceed 200”.

See at: https://bit.ly/3dqlTUn

Civil Society Filled a Void in the Balkan Pandemic (Balkan Insight)

Governments in South-east Europe have ‘quarantined’ human rights in the pandemic – but civil society groups and activists are pushing back, protesting about backsliding and filling the void.

An online discussion, Feeling Ill: Human Rights in the Balkans During Covid-19, organised by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, the social listening agency Bakamo, and Arizona State University’s McCain Institute, has shed new light on threats to human rights and freedoms amid the current health crisis.

At times, government restrictions have been justified, such as limiting people’s movement, to hinder the spread of the disease. But at other times, restrictions have been unnecessary, excessive, and without a legal basis, and have had a damaging impact on a range of fundamental rights.

Associate director for programs at Human Rights Watch, Fred Abrahams, says the pandemic has affected human rights in two ways. One is direct with the introduction of extraordinary measures that go beyond legal norms and unjustifiably restrict freedom of movement and expression.

The other more indirect effect of the pandemic, Abrahams says, has been to expose pre-existing patterns of discrimination that especially impact vulnerable groups, such as minorities, LGBT+ communities, refugees, migrants and older people.

See at: https://bit.ly/3lIZ5Cd

Report: Global Internet Freedom Declines in Shadow of Pandemic (freedomhouse.com)

Governments seize the opportunity to limit online speech and deploy new surveillance tools.

Governments around the world have used the COVID-19 pandemic as cover to expand online surveillance and data collection, censor critical speech, and build new technological systems of social control, according to Freedom on the Net 2020, the latest edition of the annual country-by-country assessment of internet freedom, released today by Freedom House.

The rapid and unchecked rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric surveillance to address the public health crisis has created new risks for human rights. Smartphone apps for contact tracing or quarantine compliance have been introduced in 54 of the 65 countries assessed in this report. Few countries possess effective mechanisms for protecting personal data against abusive practices by the state or the private sector.

See at: https://bit.ly/2Iv90NB

Femart’s 8th edition celebrates resilience and solidarity in challenging times (Prishtina Insight)

From Thursday until next Tuesday, the eighth edition of the six-day Femart festival will be hosting performances, workshops, podcasts, conferences, and exhibitions by both local and international artists in venues across Prishtina.

This year, boasting an extensive and socially provocative program of 24 events by 165 artists and activists, Femart’s theme of “Solidarity and Resilience” is dedicated to sustaining a collective spirit among women and artists, and their ability to remain resilient amidst trying times.

According to Zana Hoxha Krasniqi, the director and organiser of Femart, this year’s festival was organised with the aim of supporting local artists affected by the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, and the lack of public funding to help support their work. 

See more at: https://bit.ly/3lXqYqD

Three KelKos hydropower plants no longer licensed (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo’s Energy Regulatory Office has banned the operations of three KelKos run hydropower plants in the Decan gorge until the company reapplies for a licence.

After a meeting of the Board of the Energy Regulatory Office, ERO, KelKos Energy is no longer permitted to produce electricity from three of its hydropower plants in the Decan gorge.

“The ERO has stopped the production of electricity in three hydropower plants, in Decan, Belaja and Lumbardhi 2,” Petrit Pepaj, the director of the ERO told BIRN. Pepaj added that the ban on producing energy from the hydropower plants began at 00:00 on Wednesday, and will remain in place until the company reapplies for a licence.

The ERO had previously granted KelKos a number of temporary licenses despite the company not possessing an environmental permit from the relevant ministry. However, after reviewing the most recent temporary license, which expired on Wednesday, the ERO halted energy production from the plants.

See at: https://bit.ly/33WsR0e