Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Kosovo, the most successful project of U.S.-EU foreign policy (media)
• Kosovo’s new ambassador to U.S. meets Escobar (media)
• Kosovo and Croatia sign MoU in the field of security and defence (media)
• State Department publishes country reports on terrorism (VOA)
• CDHRF: Agreement with Denmark legalises discrimination of Kosovo inmates (media)
• Association of Kosovo Municipalities says mayors will boycott meeting on COVID-19 situation (media)
• COVID-19: 11 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• NATO Joint Forces chief Admiral Burke in Belgrade (N1)
• EP adopts resolution on forced labor at Chinese plant in Serbia (N1)
• Dacic: EP Resolution, example of double standards (RTS)
• Selakovic begins visit to France (Tanjug)
• Kandic: The region’s political oligarchies glorify those convicted of war crimes (N1, Beta, KoSSev, FoNet)
• State Department: Serbia invests efforts in fight against terrorism (RTS, VoA)
• Vladislav Jovanovic: I do not expect dialogue to be accelerated because it does not suit West (Kosovo-online)
• Lawyer: Arsic threatened before arrest, he wanted to reclaim usurped property (Kosovo-online)
• Tadic former Serbian president, calls for ad-hoc coalition against Constitutional changes (N1)

International:

• Western Balkan Countries Struggle to Keep Lights On (Balkan Insight)
• Political Unrest and Propaganda Spark Online Violations (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kindergarten construction in Gorazdevac village has started (KoSSev)
• Zvecan power issue resolved (Kosovo-online)      

Albanian Language Media  

Osmani: Kosovo, the most successful project of U.S.-EU foreign policy (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, delivered her annual address before members of the Kosovo Assembly today. She said that the year-in-going was very challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic and urged people to get vaccinated.

President Osmani also said that Kosovo is the most important project of the U.S. and European foreign policy. “As president, I am committed to pushing forward Kosovo’s interests, re-energizing alliances with friendly countries and paving the way for the creation of new alliances. Kosovo is fortunate to have friends around the world. We are pleased to say that Kosovo is the most important and successful project of U.S. and European foreign policy. Therefore, in my visits, in addition to appreciation, I have been committed to raising the level of bilateral cooperation with the countries I have visited,” she said, adding that the delays in the visa liberalisation process is not only “damaging to our citizens but the credibility of the EU as well.”

She noted that Kosovo will play a constructive role in the process of dialogue with Serbia. “Unfortunately, we do not see this readiness in Serbia, their goals remain the same despite the change in their strategies. Serbia has clear territorial claims towards Kosovo and does not hide this in its rhetoric or actions.” Osmani said that dialogue will not be transformed into talks about the status of Kosovo, its territory, internal and constitutional order and further accused Serbia of serving Russian interests in the region.

Osmani underlined that agreeing to a moratorium on Kosovo seeking membership of international organisations has undermined Kosovo’s constitutional order. “Kosovo has friends and allies, both new and old, in all continents who are unshaken in the support to our journey of being full-fledged members of the international community.  All this happened despite a very challenging start. Applying an entirely passive and discordant foreign policy in the past, and unfortunately by agreeing to a moratorium that undermined our constitutional order and the right to consolidate our international standing, not only damaged our strategic interests but also switched off the lights of our foreign policy,” she said.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MPs boycotted Osmani’s speech. Abelard Tahiri, the head of the party’s parliamentary group, said the decision not to attend the Assembly session today is due to Osmani “failing to serve as a representative of the people’s unity.”

Similarly, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group also boycotted Osmani’s annual address. In a Facebook post, the party accused Osmani of “violating the mandate as a factor of unity.”

The former prime minister and MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Avdullah Hoti reacted to Osmani’s statement about the moratorium to which Kosovo agreed to at the White House meeting with the Serbian side. He said such a position can only be held by someone who shares “un-western” views. “How can the constitutional order of Kosovo be violated by the Oval Office of the White House, which protects the statehood of Kosovo more than some politicians and institution holders in Pristina?!”, he wrote.

Meanwhile Blerim Vela, chief of staff to President Osmani, said she did not say that Kosovo’s constitutional order was undermined by the Oval Office but by “irresponsible politicians like Hoti.” “We cannot expect respect of the Constitution and the inviolable right of Kosovo to be part of international organisations from the unconstitutional prime minister of Kosovo,” he wrote on Twitter in reference to Hoti’s time in office.

Kosovo’s new ambassador to U.S. meets Escobar (media)

Kosovo’s new ambassador to the United States, Ilir Dugolli, met the State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary and special envoy to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

“A pleasure to meet with DAS Gabriel Escobar for a fruitful discussion on a range of issues and reconfirm our shared objective to further deepen the special Kosovo-U.S. relationship,” Dugolli tweeted after the meeting.

Kosovo and Croatia sign MoU in the field of security and defence (media)

Defence ministers of Kosovo and Croatia, Armend Mehaj and Mario Banozic, signed in Pristina today a Memorandum of Understanding, pledging to cooperate in the field of security and defence. 

Banozic said Croatia supports the process of Kosovo Security Force transition into an army and Kosovo’s membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions. “We will continue to offer cooperation in the field of training and education,” he said.

Mehaj said relations with Croatia go beyond those of a diplomatic character. “We are united by similar challenges of the past, which strengthens the friendship between our two countries even more. We are together on the path to our countries’ future,” Mehaj said at the signing ceremony.

State Department publishes country reports on terrorism (VOA)

The U.S. State Department published the annual report on terrorism in the world saying that in 2020, the United States and its partners made significant major strides against terrorist organisations but warned that the threat from terrorism has become more geographically dispersed in regions around the world, Voice of America in Albanian reports.

In the section about Kosovo, the report notes that Kosovo continued to fight the threat of terrorism through close cooperation with the United States. It noted that Kosovo is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and that the Government of Kosovo is drafting a new combined strategy and action plan for Counterterrorism and countering violent extremism through 2025.

The report states that Kosovo continues to address the ramifications of the 2019 repatriation of four suspected foreign terrorist fighters and 106 family members from Syria, which marks one of the largest civilian repatriations to date from the conflict zone.

There were no reported terrorist incidents in Kosovo in 2020, the State Department adds.

“Kosovo’s legislative framework is among the most forward-leaning in the Balkans for prosecuting individuals suspected of committing or supporting terrorist activities, but short sentences, early release from prison, and a lack of organized postrelease supervision raise questions for long-term security.”

The report highlights that the September 4 Washington commitments signed at the White House codified Pristina’s commitment to enhancing border security and screening to interdict terrorist travel, including through U.S-provided assistance and partnership and that Kosovo has designated the entirety of Hizballah as a terrorist organization.

With regards to international police cooperation, the report notes that Kosovo has entered into a formal agreement with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL) while it remains Kosovo remains excluded from membership in INTERPOL, “owing in part to Serbian opposition stemming from the lack of normalized relations.”

CDHRF: Agreement with Denmark legalises discrimination of Kosovo inmates (media)

The Kosovo-based Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) reacted to the news that Kosovo’s Justice Ministry reached an agreement to rent 300 prison cells to Denmark, to help the country cope with its over-populated prison system. CDHRF said the agreement “legalises discrimination” of Kosovo inmates. 

CDHRF said negotiations between Kosovo and Danish authorities were not transparent and that as an organisation that monitors the prison system in Kosovo it considers that the agreement will not promote the work and independence of the Kosovo Correctional Service and instead “takes it back to the time when it was managed by internationals”. 

It added that the detention facility in Gjilan which has been reported to be the place where the Danish inmates will be transferred has no capacity to house additional prisoners which would in turn lead to the current ones, majority of whom are from the nearby regions, to be transferred to other facilities, thus “making family visits more difficult and violating the rights of persons deprived of freedom”. 

“The inmates that would be transferred from Denmark to the Gjilan Prison are from third countries and if it was true that they are of lower threat, they would not be transferred to Kosovo in the first place,” CDHRF continued. 

Recognising that Kosovo’s prison capacity is 50 percent full, CDHRF said this does not mean that it agrees to “300 problematic inmates that could not be managed in Denmark be brought to Kosovo.”

Association of Kosovo Municipalities says mayors will boycott meeting on COVID-19 situation (media)

The Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM), said in a statement that the mayors will not be attending the meeting with relevant ministries to discuss the current epidemiological situation since the Association representatives were not invited.

The Association said that the invitation from the Ministry of Local Government Administration was only sent out to Kosovo mayors and not to the Association and noted that the move is aimed at causing division. “Mayors of municipalities consider that without the AKM they should not take part in this meeting as it is not the first time that the central level acts in this way.”

AKM said it was a mechanism that should be treated as an ally by the Ministries and not be ignored. “If the ministries ignore the AKM, they automatically ignore the mayors and the Kosovo Municipalities.” 

COVID-19: 11 new cases, no deaths (media)

11 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. Eight persons recovered during this time.

There are 317 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

NATO Joint Forces chief Admiral Burke in Belgrade (N1)

Allied Joint Force Naples commander Admiral Robert Burke attended a NATO Military Liaison Office handover ceremony in Belgrade on Thursday.

Outgoing Chief MLO Brigadier General Tomasso Vitale handed over to fellow Italian Brigadier General Antonelo Mesenio Zaniti on Thursday at the ceremony which was also attended by Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Chief of Staff General Milan Mojsilovic who held a meeting with Admiral Burke after the ceremony to sign a document on a joint exercise by NATO and Serbian forces next year in Serbia.

A Defense Ministry press release said that Mojsilovic and Burke also discussed the security situation in the region and cooperation between the Serbian military and the Naples Joint Forces Command as well as joint training and exercises including cooperation with KFOR. “The security of the population in our southern province and the protection of Serbian national, cultural, historic and religious heritage falls to KFOR as the only legitimate armed force in Kosovo,” Mojsilovic is quoted as saying.

Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said that Serbia is a reliable partner in NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, adding that this is the optimal form of cooperation with the Alliance since the country has no intention of joining any military alliance.

Speaking at the Ceremony, Admiral Burke said that the Alliance fully respects Serbia’s policy of military neutrality, adding that the country cooperates with NATO on many levels – political, military, and scientific. He said that the Alliance is fully committed to stability, security and cooperation in the Western Balkans with NATO attaching strategic importance to Serbia for the stability of the region. “Serbia is an important NATO partner,” he said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3e0HhRo

EP adopts resolution on forced labor at Chinese plant in Serbia (N1)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on “Forced labour in the Linglong factory and environmental protests” on Thursday, expressing concern over violations of human rights and trafficking in the case of 500 Vietnamese nationals brought to Serbia by the Chinese factory.

The Serbian authorities were called to investigate the case and make sure basic human rights are respected, especially labor rights at the Linglong factory, and report the findings to the European Union. It also expressed concern over the problem of corruption and rule of law in environmental protection, a general lack of transparency and assessment of the effects on society and the environment.

The resolution said that violence by extremist and hooligan groups against peaceful environmental protests is growing and condemned the violation of the basic right to peaceful gatherings. The Serbian authorities are called to publicly condemn what the hooligans are doing. It expressed regret over the drop in media freedom, harsh statements, intimidation and hate speech against the opposition, independent intellectuals, NGOs, journalists, and prominent individuals by members of the ruling parties. It condemned the recent attacks on opposition leader Marinika Tepic because of her ethnic origins on a government-support TV (Pink).

The resolution welcomed the fact that EU membership remains Serbia’s strategic goal and encouraged Belgrade to confirm its commitment more actively and unequivocally to European values in public.

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin commented on the resolution saying that MEPs are venting their frustrations. A ministry press release quoted him as saying that MEPs were disappointed that no Serbian heads were broken but that the citizens of Serbia are glad that the streets are peaceful.

See at: https://bit.ly/3p4vuI2

Dacic: EP Resolution, example of double standards (RTS)

European Parliament Resolution on Serbia is yet another example of hypocrisy and double standards, Serbian Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic said.

“In days when Serbia opened Cluster 4, in the EU association process, which recognized progress Serbia made in the reforms, the European Parliament passed a completely opposite resolution, based on false claims of some opposition parties and non-governmental organizations. And all this at times when we witness brutal action of police forces in many EU member states”, Dacic said.  

“We are of course for European integration, but not for lies and hypocrisy”, Dacic added. 

The EP passed with a majority of votes Resolution expressing concern over the rights of the Vietnamese workers in the Chinese company in Serbia “Linglong” and regarding ecological protests in Serbia.

Meanwhile, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic also reacted saying that EU Resolution was practically a response of Croatian MEPs and Viola von Cramon to the four negotiations chapters, respectively Cluster 4, Serbia opened in its accession process with the EU.

She told TV Pink, that 11 out of 12 Croatian MEPs voted for resolution, which also mentioned the problem of mural to Ratko Mladic in Belgrade, and then showed photos from the gathering and markings to the Hague convict Slobodan Praljak at the central Zagreb square with Croatian flags being displayed, to point out that no reaction was made to that. 

Selakovic begins visit to France (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic on Thursday began an official visit to France with a meeting in the French National Assembly, where he spoke with representatives of both chambers of the legislative body, Tanjug news agency reports. 

Selakovic said the two countries were connected by historically close ties and friendship and noted that France was one of Serbia’s most significant political and economic partners, thanking Paris for supporting the European integration of Serbia.

Selakovic also said he was pleased with constant progress in overall bilateral cooperation and added that the political dialogue between the two countries was excellent. He noted that in line with the strategic partnership, Serbia is committed to advance further its relations with France.

“We are seeing an intensification of our relations that began after President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Serbia in 2019, when the partnership between the two countries also gained strength”, Selakovic said.

“France is a very important economic partner and is increasingly present as an investor in Serbia. It is particularly pleasing that French businesspeople are showing continued interest in doing business in Serbia. Serbia has attracted as much as 80 pct of French investments across the region”, he added.

He noted that Serbia was committed to regional stability and economic development and connectivity in the region. He briefed the French lawmakers on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “Open Balkans” initiative.

He also spoke about the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the course of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.  Selakovic underlined that the dialogue is the only path to a sustainable solution, and noted that, despite obstructions by Pristina, Belgrade stood by that position in a consistent manner.

Kandic: The region’s political oligarchies glorify those convicted of war crimes (N1, Beta, KoSSev, FoNet)

The coordinator of the RECOM Reconciliation Network, Natasa Kandic, assessed that the policies of remembrance are in the hands of oligarchies that manipulate them and glorify those convicted of war crimes, reported Serbian media. 

“That glorification has reached the point that public spaces in all countries of the former Yugoslavia are filled with respect for those convicted of war crimes, genocide, and joint criminal enterprise,” Kandic said at the opening of the Transitional Justice Forum at the Metropol Hotel in Belgrade. 

She assessed that political oligarchies managed to involve new generations in crimes from the past.

The director of the Center for Peace Policy, Vesna Terselic, said that the reconciliation process was politically interrupted, but assessed that the reconciliation process among citizens had not been interrupted.

“The policies of our countries do not recognize all victims equally, but only ‘their’ victims. We had hope in 2010, when the presidents of Croatia and Serbia, Ivo Josipovic and Boris Tadic, paid tribute to the victims in Vukovar and Paulin Dvor, that this will be the beginning of the process of dealing with the past, but it did not happen and such moves are slowly sinking into oblivion,” she said.

The forum was organized under the title “Interrupted Reconciliation – Which Way to Continue”.

The HLC published a digital narrative: The Concealment of Bodies Operation 

The Reconciliation Network RECOM is a regional coalition of non-governmental organizations and individuals advocating for countries in the region to establish a regional commission to establish the facts about the victims of the 1991-2001 wars in Yugoslavia.

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) has published its sixth digital narrative, ” The Concealment of Bodies Operation”, based on the HLC Dossier “Removing Evidence of War Crimes in Kosovo: The Concealment of Bodies Operation” from 2017.

”From 2001 until today, mass graves with the remains of 948 Albanians killed during the war in Kosovo, mostly civilians, have been discovered on the territory of the Republic of Serbia. In March 1999, the top authorities planned an operation to remove the bodies of civilians killed by military and police units, in order to remove evidence of crimes and prevent any possibility of domestic or international independent investigation. The operation began in early April 1999 at the latest and lasted until the end of May 1999. All information about the burial of bodies in mass graves was kept secret until May 2001,” it was said on the website of the HLC.

The digital narrative “The Concealment of Bodies Operation” contains recordings of testimonies, photographs of locations, forensic reports, records from the police investigation and other materials from court proceedings in which evidence of this secret state operation was presented.

State Department: Serbia invests efforts in fight against terrorism (RTS, VoA)

In its annual report on terrorism, the US State Department stated that Serbia is making efforts in the fight against terrorism and continues the cooperation with the US and international partners, citing that the main problems are the movement of money and weapons through the region, recruitment of fighters returnees,  self-radicalization of terrorists through racially or ethnically motivated ideologies associated with nationalism or nationalist groups, reported Radio television of Serbia, citing VoA.

“Serbia is making efforts in the fight against terrorism and continues to cooperate with the United States and international partners. In September 2020, it pledged to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization and expand cooperation through the implementation of a passenger screening system. It is a member of the Global Coalition to Fight Islamic State,” it was said in the report of the State Department. 

The report said that Serbia punishes crimes such as international terrorism, incitement, recruitment, use of deadly devices, destruction and damage to nuclear facilities, terrorist financing and association for terrorism purposes.

The State Department report emphasized that the penal policy differs depending on whether the returnees are from the battlefield in Syria or those who fought in eastern Ukraine.

“Different standards seem to be applied in punishing foreign fighters in the two conflicts, returnees from Syria are sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, while most returnees from Ukraine are sentenced to suspended sentences,” the reports said.

US State Department 2020 report on terrorism – Serbia available at: https://bit.ly/3yzMZTG

Vladislav Jovanovic: I do not expect dialogue to be accelerated because it does not suit West (Kosovo-online)

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia Vladislav Jovanovic says that the West maintains the triangle Bosnia-Kosovo-Serbia with the most important goal of disciplining Belgrade and returning it to its previous, obedient state, Kosovo-online portal reports.

He told Belgrade-based Politika daily the goal was to criminalize and weaken Serbia and this way to solve the problem in the Balkans.

“The West is doing this with parallel actions, attacking (Milorad) Dodik, who is asking for the return of the deprived powers that Republika Srpska had under the Dayton Agreement, while they are not very interested in the Kosovo problem and let things go as before, because they expect Serbia will eventually accept everything that is required of it in both cases. The West does not want to solve these problems, but force Serbia accept as soon as possible the situation they have created – to recognize Kosovo and thus cease to be a factor of concern in the Balkans”, Jovanovic opined.

He pointed out he cannot blame Pristina for obstructing the continuation of the dialogue with Belgrade, because Kurti is only ‘a contractor’, and the ordering parties are on other sides, adding it is normal for them to tolerate such behavior of Kosovo Albanians.

“I am thinking primarily of Washington, but London and Berlin are also here to help, and the appointment of special envoys for this region is important because it is not in their favor in the long run”, Jovanovic added.

However, this experienced diplomat does not expect that the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina will gain momentum, because, as he said, that does not suit the West now.

“There is a big difference in why dialogue is being approached. While Belgrade wants to solve concrete life problems and the dialogue is dedicated to improving life and solving practical issues regarding contacts and cooperation between us and Pristina, the West is not interested in that, nor is Pristina. For them, the dialogue is conducted only as something that will lead to mutual recognition”, he concluded. 

Lawyer: Arsic threatened before arrest, he wanted to reclaim usurped property (Kosovo-online)

Jovana Filipovic, defense lawyer of Dusko Arsic arrested at Jarinje on December 8, under suspicion of allegedly committing war crimes against civilian population, told Kosovo-online portal Arsic was receiving threats from his Albanian neighbors over his intention to request from them release of his usurped property, Kosovo-online portal reports. 

Arsic’s property was taken away from him by using falsified authorization, and then later using those forged documents (purchase-selling) contracts were made and his property sold without his knowledge.

“I met Dusko Arsic in July this year, when he needed legal assistance to protect his property rights and resolve the problem of usurped property in the village of Maticane, near Pristina”, Filipovic said.

As an affected party, he initiated a criminal lawsuit at the Basic Prosecution in Pristina.

“There is a high number of defendants in this proceeding, the indictment was raised and the proceeding is ongoing. We filed a lawsuit on September 20, to invalidate the (property sale) contract in order for him to reclaim the property he has”, Filipovic explained.

She added following the lawsuit, Dusko Arsic continued visiting Kosovo often. He has residence in the village of Badovac, in Gracanica municipality, and he was often there, entering Kosovo at administrative crossing points without problems.

Soon, he started receiving threats from persons who usurped his property. “He didn’t hope for such an epilogue and didn’t expect that the arrest would happen”, Filipovic said.

She noted that only a week prior to the arrest, Arsic was in Gracanica, obtained Kosovo citizenship and was assessed to be an eligible citizen. He was arrested on December 8, on the same day when he submitted documents for Kosovo ID card.

She also said “prosecution has no single evidence against Arsic, of him committing material or nonmaterial war crimes. There are only statements witnesses made on September 23, and we expect to see the epilogue of all this soon”.

She added that the court will determine the cause-and-effect correlation between the case initiated by Dusko Arsic on usurped property and the accusations of war crimes, i.e. the acts he is charged with, since no indictment has been filed yet.

She expressed hope that the procedure will be carried out properly.

“This situation causes great concern among the people and the fear among those wishing to exercise their property rights in Kosovo on whether they will be allowed to come and claim their property or whether they may be accused of committing war crimes or any other criminal act tomorrow”, Filipovic underlined.

She also warned that such actions place an obstacle to the persons who would like to exercise their rights to property or any other rights in Kosovo, and they are not allowed to do so precisely for such reasons i.g. fear of being accused of committing a war crime or other criminal acts.

Tadic former Serbian president, calls for ad-hoc coalition against Constitutional changes (N1)

Boris Tadic, Serbian former President and the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDS) called on the opposition to form an ad-hoc coalition for the January 16 referendum on Constitutional changes, and tell people to vote ‘no’ to what he said was Government’s additional attempt to influence the judiciary, N1 report.s

Tadic said the ‘no’ answer would be a “potentially new blow to (President Aleksandar) Vucic’s regime“ after the environmentalist protests over the last three weekends.

He thus joined many opposition activists and legal experts who said the changes meant that “11 powerful people (from the Government), instead of 250 deputies chosen by the people, will elect the judges“.

“And then those judges will rule on behalf of the people“, Toma Fila, a lawyer and Vucic’s coalition Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) MP, told the Parliament.

Tadic said people should be explained what the changes meant more Government’s control. “Nobody knows what they are voting for because Vucic blurred the issue with the referendum question“. Tadic said.

The question reads: “Are you in favour of the act on changing the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia?“ The offered answers are ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

International

Western Balkan Countries Struggle to Keep Lights On (Balkan Insight)

Spikes in global prices combined with severe winter weather have left some Balkan countries scrambling to stay on top of energy crises.

As a number of Western Balkans countries face severe energy crises, in the midst of winter, consumers are crossing fingers that their lights and heating will be kept on.

In Kosovo, public attention has focused on a looming energy crisis, as power plants struggle to handle the increased demand for energy for heating in winter.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Wednesday said the government would allocate funds to cover the import of more energy, in an attempt to avoid outages and price hikes.

“Kosovo depends on imports to keep the lights on… We will do our best to keep the energy supply and avoid any increase in prices,” Kurti said after the energy regulator, ERO, green-lighted a request to review the prices. A 5-per-cent increase in energy prices is likely as a consequence.

Government calls for consumers to save energy have been mocked on social media, however, after Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli appealed to people to keep electronic devices, including PlayStation joysticks, off, when not in use.

Read more at: https://cutt.ly/HY2bbpb

Political Unrest and Propaganda Spark Online Violations (Balkan Insight)

Anti-government protests, political rhetoric and institutional instability appeared to be the main causes of digital rights violations in Southeast Europe over the past fortnight.

The end of November and beginning of December saw digital rights violations in the wake of anti-government environmental protests in Serbia, and amid a tense political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, caused by secessionist threats of the ruling party in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska.

Pro-government media in Hungary continued to use rhetoric supporting the ruling Fidesz party with the aim of influencing Hungarians online, while the fallout from a high-profile case at the European Court of Human Rights spilled over into the online environment in Romania. 

Read more at: https://cutt.ly/YY2b89U

Humanitarian/Development

Kindergarten construction in Gorazdevac village has started (KoSSev)

After KoSSev and Radio Gorazdevac reported in a joint text yesterday that no works were underway on the construction of a kindergarten in Gorazdevac – although the deadline to do so is running out, the first workers and machines appeared today on the construction site where the cornerstone was laid a month ago.

Until today, the only thing that could be seen on the plot provided by the Diocese of Raska and Prizren for a kindergarten in the largest Serb village in Metohija was a pit, some rebar, and cement, topped by a bucket.

Apart from the fact that the Diocese donated the land, the 35-million-RSD project is also financed by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. The cornerstone for the kindergarten in Gorazdevac, set to be attended by approximately 60 local children, was laid on November 18th by the assistant to the head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Jelena Stojkovic, the head of the Pec Provisional Authority, Milos Dimitrijevic, and Bishop Teodosije.

More than three months have passed, however, since the contract was signed by which the contractor undertook to complete the project in ninety days, which KoSSev and Radio Gorazdevac reported about yesterday.

Read more at: https://cutt.ly/4Y04GRc

Zvecan power issue resolved (Kosovo-online)

The damaged high voltage cable which is connected to seven substations in Zvecan has been replaced, which resolves its residents’ power problems, municipal official says, Kosovo-online portal reports.

The damaged high voltage cable has been replaced with a new one, in four lengths of 620 meters each.

“The power supply issue, which arose due to cable damage, could be more permanently resolved by procuring and installing a new cable on the required spot. The Zvecan municipality Interim Municipal Council, considering the current power supply situation as well as the winter period’s increased consumption, recognized the needs of the residents and provided the necessary means to fix this issue to more securely provide Zvecan with power”, a statement from the municipality reads.

As it was reported, after the latest power supply interruption most of Zvecan remained without power for approximately 50 hours.