Albanian Language Media:

• Lajcak: We are close to reaching an agreement on some issues (media)
• Bislimi informs about Tuesday’s meeting with Lajcak (media)
• Haxhiu: Serbia has territorial claims against Kosovo (RTK)
• Kurti: We will soon propose the level of minimum salary (media)
• Kosovo to convene its National Security Council to discuss Ukraine crisis (Express)
• Szunyog: Lack of quorum in the Assembly of Kosovo is worrying (media)
• Azemi: ITUPSK will not accept minimum salaries under €400 (media)
• Population Census to be held this year (media)
• IPA prohibits processing of personal data collected in collective buildings and orders their destruction (Telegrafi)
• COVID-19: 257 new cases, three deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic responds to Ukrainian ambassador: Kiev must condemn aggression on Serbia (Tanjug)
• Petkovic expects new round of talks soon; Bislimi refused to meet face to face (N1, Tanjug, RTS)
• Vucic visits Spain (RTS)
• EU expects Serbia to align with sanctions against Russia; US welcomes Serbia’s respect of Ukraine’s territorial integrity (N1, VoA)
• Haxhiu: Serbs can vote by mail or the Liaison Office (KiM radio, media)
• Trajkovic reacts to Haxhiu’s statement (Kosovo-online)
• Opposition People’s Party: Serbia to remain militarily neutral, respect territorial integrity of all countries (N1)

International:

• Serbia and Kosovo Negotiators Fail to Meet in Brussels (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

Lajcak: We are close to reaching an agreement on some issues (media)

The EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said that Kosovo and Serbia are close to reaching an agreement on some documents.

“After 11 hours of intense negotiations yesterday, we are close to reaching an agreement on some documents. But as so often, the last step is the most difficult one. The work continues,” Lajcak wrote on Twitter.

Bislimi informs about Tuesday’s meeting with Lajcak (media)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi was in Brussels on Tuesday for the next round of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

He had a several hours meeting with the EU Special Representative for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

However, there was no tripartite meeting between the Kosovo delegation, the Serbian one and the EU representative. Serbian chief negotiator Petar Petkovic blamed Bislimi for this.

Media Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo informed that the missing persons by force during the war in Kosovo, energy and licence plates were discussed in the meetings between Bislimi and Lajcak.

“In these meetings they discussed the issue of the missing persons during the war in Kosovo, and the sensitivity and urgency of a solution as soon as possible. There was talk of energy under the existing agreement. Discussions with the European Union in this area have made progress, however details remain to be addressed. Another issue of discussion was that of vehicle license plates. The technical groups have started finalizing their final proposals. The meetings of the technical groups will continue until the final selection of options according to the standards and practices of the European Union,” announced the Office of the Prime Minister.

Haxhiu: Serbia has territorial claims against Kosovo (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu said that the institutions of Kosovo share the same position regarding the elections of Serbia in Kosovo.

She said that citizens with dual citizenship will be able to vote through the post office or the liaison office and that there is no change regarding this issue.

She said that Serbia is not concerned about the rights of citizens but that it has territorial claims against Kosovo.

The Minister of Justice recalled the resolution adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo which prohibited the organization of the referendum of Serbia within the territory of Kosovo, for which she said that it is important to respect the Constitution of Kosovo and applicable law.

“We are all aware that Serbia has claims to hold elections in Kosovo because it has territorial claims against the Republic of Kosovo. Serbia is not worried about the rights of citizens,” Haxhiu said in a press conference after today’s meeting of the government.

Kurti: We will soon propose the level of minimum salary (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said today at the government meeting that the level of the minimum wage in Kosovo will be proposed soon.

“In coordination with the Economic and Social Counseling we will soon propose the level of the minimum wage,” Kurti said.

The minimum wage in Kosovo is 130 euros for employees under the age of 35 and 170 euros for employees over the age of 35, a salary which has not changed since 2011.

In the Program of the government of Kosovo for the period 2021-2025, it is written that the minimum wage will increase to 250 euros. However, the Independent Trade Union of the Private Sector has stated that this is not enough. They demanded that the minimum wage be 350 euros.

Meanwhile, Kurti during the government meeting also stressed that procurement reform remains among the most important points for preventing misuse of public funds and preventing corruption.

The Prime Minister announced that today they will submit to the Assembly a draft decision on the candidates for members of the Public Procurement Regulatory Commission.

Kosovo to convene its National Security Council to discuss Ukraine crisis (Express)

The National Security Council of Kosovo is expected to convene on Wednesday evening to discuss crisis in Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir ordered troops into separatist-held parts of eastern Ukraine and signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Moscow-backed regions, Gazeta Express reports.

Bekim Kupina, media advisor to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed to T7 that the National Security Council will convene on Wednesday evening. Former Kosovo chief diplomat, Enver Hoxhaj, during Tuesday’s session of the Assembly urged the authorities to call a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss latest developments in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla have reacted on Tuesday stating that Kosovo stands with Ukraine. The Government building was lit with colours of Ukrainian flag on Tuesday evening to show solidarity of the people of Kosovo with the people of Ukraine.

Szunyog: Lack of quorum in the Assembly of Kosovo is worrying (media)

The Head of the EU Office in Kosovo Tomas Szunyog said that the lack of a quorum and sometimes the slow progress of key legislative acts in the Assembly of Kosovo is worrying.

Szunyog made these comments at a roundtable on “French Presidency of the Council of the European Union” organized by the EPIK Institute, in cooperation with the Committee on European Integration of the Assembly of Kosovo. 

The Chairwoman of the Commission Rrezarta Krasniqi said that Kosovo is the most successful state building project in the world.

She was optimistic about visa liberalization.

“At the end of the process, we must not lose hope. This is not the time for pessimism, this is the time for cooperation with allied countries. Our institutions must show maturity in the dialogue process with Serbia,” she said.

The Ambassador of France in Kosovo Marie Christine Butel emphasized that France is active in the international agenda that has to do with reducing the use of gases.

“The countries of the Western Balkans are extremely important for the EU itself, and the French presidency. The best illustration of the importance of the agenda of the French presidency is the conference on the Western Balkans to be held in June,” she said.

The conference will be attended by the leaders of the region, who will talk about security, environment, youth, and the reconciliation process.

While, the head of the EU Office in Kosovo Thomas Szunyog, among other things spoke about the work of the assembly.

“It is a very strong consensus for Kosovo’s integration into the EU, and all political parties support this process, but I think it is also important that those general statements of support for EU integration also translate into concrete activities of this Assembly. I have to admit that we are monitoring the work of the Assembly and we are often concerned about the lack of quorum and sometimes the slow progress of key legislative acts in the Assembly, and obviously this applies to this comprehensive change of electoral legislation but also to the Law on Financing of Political Parties,” he said.

Azemi: ITUPSK will not accept minimum salaries under €400 (media)

The Independent Trade Union of the Private Sector of Kosovo (ITUPSK) will not accept a minimum wage of less than 400 euros. This was said by the President of the Independent Trade Union of the Private Sector of Kosovo Jusuf Azemi in a press conference where he criticized the government for lack of dialogue with the trade union.

According to Azemi, the non-implementation of the laws in force is the reason why the citizens of the Kosovo are leaving the country, and added that within four months, over 200 thousand citizens applied to leave Kosovo.

Population Census to be held this year (media)

The Assembly of Kosovo has approved today the Draft Law on population census, households and housing, media report.

69 MPs voted in favor of this draft law and one abstained.

The Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca said that now the Draft Law goes to the relevant Committees, which will bring it back to the Assembly with their recommendations.

“The census scheduled to take place last year has been postponed due to the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and the municipal elections that took place in October last year. The new deadline for the census is set to be in 2022,” Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers Hekuran Murati said.

IPA prohibits processing of personal data collected in collective buildings and orders their destruction  (Telegrafi)

Information and Privacy Agency (AIP), based on Law no. 06 / L-082 on Personal Data Protection, reviewed since its functioning more than fifty (50) complaints for data protection, and it has also decided on complaints related to the processing of personal data in collective buildings, through the installation of a camera surveillance system.

“IPA, in all cases has conducted inspections and based on the factual situation, has taken action to stop the processing of personal data until the legal criteria are met, and has ordered the destruction of personal data collected through camera surveillance.

IPA, during the inspection of these cases has concluded that the sole purpose of placing camera surveillance in collective buildings, has been the safety of people and property. However, the Agency, based on the evidence collected during the inspections, found that the controllers did not meet all the legal criteria, provided by the Law on Personal Data Protection, to establish a camera surveillance system.

IPA, in cases when it observes violations of the Law on Personal Data Protection, has the right to order the elimination of irregularities, to temporarily and permanently stop the processing of personal data and to advise in writing the controller or data processor in cases of minor violations and as a last resort to impose fines, in cases of publication of these data, or when we have repetitions of violations of Law no. 06 / L-082 on Personal Data Protection.

In any case when personal data obtained through the camera surveillance system are published and shared with third parties, without legal basis, except law enforcement and security bodies (Police), who have the legal basis for further processing for the purposes of investigation, IPA undertakes sanctioning actions against controllers or personal data processors, who publish sequences obtained from camera surveillance,” reads a press release issued by the Information and Privacy Agency.

COVID-19: 257 new cases, three deaths (media)

257 new cases with COVID-19 and three deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. 593 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 3,057 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic responds to Ukrainian ambassador: Kiev must condemn aggression on Serbia (Tanjug)

Responding to a statement by the outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Belgrade, who has urged Serbia to take a clearer position on developments in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday said he would accept the ambassador’s plea for Serbia to condemn a Russian aggression on Ukraine if the diplomat called on Ukraine’s president to condemn the 1999 Western aggression on Serbia, reported Tanjug.

Speaking to reporters in Monaco, Vucic said that, like Russia, Ukraine supported the integrity of Serbia, and added that Serbia respected Ukraine’s integrity and that there had been no changes in that regard.

“However, he wants us to clearly condemn Russian aggression and so on… I have a simple answer to that. We are a small country and we do not want to abolish the possibility of continuing our friendships with some countries. We are not the ones to decide on the fate of Ukraine… I urge him to call on his President Zelenskyy to condemn the horrible and tragic aggression on Serbia committed by the US, the UK and other countries,” Vucic said.

“As soon as he does that, I will be happy to heed (Ambassador Oleksander) Alexadrovich’s call and answer his pleas,” Vucic said, noting that Serbia’s positions are clear.

“We are hoping for peace and good relations with everyone. We are too small to threaten anyone. And we are the only ones to adhere to international law in a very principled manner, which is clear to everyone. Hence the fears over Kosovo-Metohija and everything else,” Vucic said.

Vucic reiterated Serbia would react as soon as Ukraine condemned the aggression on Serbia, which he noted had been committed by the countries that were now helping Ukraine and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in Serbia.

“But such a reaction is not going to happen because their (Ukrainian) interests lie in the West and are completely different from ours,” he said.

“Our policy is to proceed towards the EU but without eroding our relationships with Russia and China – that policy has endured tough challenges and I am confident that it will also endure those that are still ahead of us,” Vucic said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3h6LuEC

Petkovic expects new round of talks soon; Bislimi refused to meet face to face (N1, Tanjug, RTS)

Serbia’s chief negotiator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Petar Petkovic said that his Kosovo counterpart Besnik Bislimi refused to meet face to face and that he spoke to European Union envoy Miroslav Lajcak only, reported Serbian media.

Petkovic, the head of the Office for KiM, said that the latest round of the dialogue at technical level was not easy adding that it focused on the Community of Serb Municipalities which Belgrade insists on. The Community of Serb Municipalities was part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. 

“Without the CSM (ZSO), I don’t know how we can go further and discuss all other issues. We are ready to talk and move on, but what has been agreed must be fulfilled, because our side has fulfilled everything and is acting responsibly,” Petkovic told Tanjug.

He said that they also discussed electricity, adding that Belgrade is still waiting for licences for two Serbian companies in Kosovo, reported media. 

”We insisted on energy and the agreement from 2013, and we are still waiting for licences for two Serbian companies. It is important to ensure a stable supply of electricity for the north of Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic emphasised.

He added that during the conversation with Lajcak, they also talked about numerous attacks on Serbs in Kosovo.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have had 23 attacks on Serbs, which is three times more than in the same period last year. We spoke exclusively with Lajcak, Pristina representative Besnik Bislimi refused to talk to the Serbian side,” Petkovic stressed.

The director of the Office for KiM said that he expected a new round of talks soon.

“During the next round, Pristina will, I hope, be much more responsible, that is, that it will come to Brussels to discuss numerous topics. That is important for the continuation of the dialogue,” Petkovic said.

Vucic visits Spain (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is paying a one-day working visit to the Kingdom of Spain, RTS reports. He will have separate meetings with King of Spain Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Vucic’s press office announced.

During the visit to Madrid Vucic will also attend the signing ceremony of a contract to purchase two Erbas transportation planes CASA C-295.

Ahead of his visit to Spain, Vucic announced he will invite King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Sanchez to visit Serbia.

“Serbian and Spanish officials rarely have meetings, they have not been in Belgrade for 50 years. I will invite Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to visit Serbia, they are true friends of our country and that is very important for us”, Vucic said.

Spain is one of the five EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo, and nurtures friendly relations with Serbia.

Trade exchange between Serbia and Spain is on rise over the last years, while Spain singles out as the most attractive fields for investments in renewable energy sources, traffic infrastructure, agricultural industry, energy and environmental protection. 

EU expects Serbia to align with sanctions against Russia; US welcomes Serbia’s respect of Ukraine’s territorial integrity (N1, VoA)

European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said on Tuesday that the European Union expects candidate countries, including Serbia, to impose sanctions against Russia following its decision to recognize two breakaway regions of Ukraine, reported N1, citing VoA.

Stano said in a written reply to the Voice of America that the EU’s reaction will include sanctions for Russia’s violation of international law and expects candidate countries to align their policies with those of the EU.

According to Stano, Serbia as a candidate country is expected to align with EU decisions on foreign and security policy.

An unnamed State Department spokesman told the Voice of America that the US believes that Serbia will stand with the EU in protecting peace, prosperity, and stability in the region, adding that Washington welcomes President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that Serbia understands the importance of respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Haxhiu: Serbs can vote by mail or the Liaison Office (KiM radio, media)

The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu stated at the press conference that the position of the Kosovo Government has not changed regarding the holding of the Serbian elections in Kosovo on April 3, reported KiM radio.

She said that Kosovo Serbs will be able to vote by mail or the Liaison Office, which, as she said, is in accordance with the Constitution.

“We are aware that Serbia aspires to hold elections in Kosovo, not because it seeks to resolve the rights of its citizens, it does not care much about the rights of its citizens, but because it has territorial claims against Kosovo,” said the Minister after the Kosovo government session. 

She said that the Government and the Assembly have the same position as for the constitutional referendum that Serbia organised on January 16.

“The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo passed a resolution banning the constitutional referendum. We believe that it is very important to respect the Constitution of Kosovo and the laws in force. Citizens who have dual citizenship should be offered a solution, and we did it, we offered them to vote through the Liaison Office or by mail,” she repeated.

Trajkovic reacts to Haxhiu’s statement (Kosovo-online)

President of the Serb European Movement from Kosovo and politician Rada Trajkovic commenting on the statement of Kosovo Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu, that Serbs in Kosovo could vote only by mail or at Belgrade Liaison Office on April 3 elections, said that “passions should be eased and stability preserved”, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Trajkovic also said on Twitter that “international subjectivity of Kosovo is incomplete”.

“In a situation where borders and constitutions of internationally recognized UN member states are violated, rigid insistence of Kosovo- whose international subjectivity is incomplete- on inviolability of its constitution, is inappropriate, naïve and destabilising”, Trajkovic wrote.

“Ease the passions, please. Preserve stability”,  she added. 

Opposition People’s Party: Serbia to remain militarily neutral, respect territorial integrity of all countries (N1)

The opposition People’s Party NS) headed by Vuk Jeremic, recalled on Wednesday that Serbian Parliament established its military neutrality in 2007 and added it should remain so since it proved to have been a far-reaching wise decision, N1 reports.

“It is necessary that, as a state, we continue insisting on respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the world, and above all Serbia“. the party said.

“On February 17, 2008, the provisional authorities in Pristina unilaterally declared the independence of so-called Kosovo, thus directly violating the Constitution of Serbia and Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council“, it added.

The People’s Party, a member of the opposition United Serbia coalition for the general elections on April 3, further recalled that the Serbian government “then resolutely rejected this attempt to undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity and warned the world public that recognizing such unilateral acts would create an extremely dangerous precedent for the future of the international legal order and global security“.

“It is essential that it stays that way – especially today when the danger of large-scale conflicts in Europe is greater than ever in the last few decades”, the People’s Party press release said.

International

Serbia and Kosovo Negotiators Fail to Meet in Brussels (Balkan Insight)

Belgrade and Pristina’s ‘technical negotiators’ had separate meetings in Brussels with the EU’s envoy for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, but did not talk to each other.

The latest round of ‘technical level’ dialogue between representatives of Serbia and Kosovo in Brussels on Tuesday passed off without any new information about progress made, and without the two sides’ negotiators talking face to face.

The EU’s envoy for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that he was having “intense discussions” with Belgrade and Pristina’s negotiators, the director of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, and Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.

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