In the course of dialogue in Brussels, the representation of Serbs in Kosovo’s public institutions and companies was not mentioned, even though it is far below the legal requirements. According to the Serbian representatives in the Kosovo government, the number of Serbs in public institutions is far below the guaranteed 10 per cent.
There are between two and three per cent of Serbs in public institutions and enterprises.
“In some public enterprises, such as power plants, there are no Serb employees. In railways, at the level of statistical error. In many other systems, there are no Serbs today, and there were several thousand before 1999,” said Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic.
The highest unemployment among Serbs is in central Kosovo and Kosovo Morava basin. The advertised vacancies in the municipality of Gracanica, two years ago, led to an approximate data on unemployment.
“According to the data of the number of applicants and applications in these competitions, the number of people seeking work was about 3,000 young people,” said Vladeta Kostic, Mayor of Gracanica .
“At the moment we have about 45 per cent of non-majority of the people who work in this institution – both political and civilian personnel, which is more important. So, it is a clear indication that if there is a will there is a possibility that the law is respected,” said the Minister of Return and Communities Dalibor Jevtic.
According to the latest research, in ministries and other government agencies there are 5.5 Serbs and 91.2 per cent of Albanians out of 16,500 employees. The law, however, does not regulate the obligation of representation of non-Albanian peoples in every government and parliamentary body in particular.
The plan of Serb representatives in the institutions is to form an inter-ministerial group that will propose a change or amendment of laws so that Serbs and other non-Albanians receive what they deserve by the law.
“By making these inter-ministerial groups and by increasing pressure on all relevant actors to simply move the process from a standstill, because the fact is that in the last five years nothing has been done, even statistically monitored, it can be seen that the number of Serbs in the institutions reduced “says Stojanovic.
The first step is made. Recently, the Kosovo government recognized the diplomas of the University in Mitrovica.
