UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 10, 2026

Osmani calls for constitutive session of Kosovo Assembly tomorrow (Koha)
Kurti: Tomorrow we’ll answer the obligation for the constitutive session (Sinjali)
Konjufca says he expects new government to be formed tomorrow (Koha)
Spahiu: Assembly deputy speaker from SL List, and Rasic will be minister (Kosovo Online)
Around 200,000 people expected to attend march in support of former KLA leaders (Klan)
EU supports efforts of Kosovo authorities to ensure all people in Kosovo are registered (Kossev)
US will continue to support KSF with military equipment (RFE)
Kosovo is ready to contribute to International Stabilization Force in Gaza (RTK)
Police find military ammunition and equipment in Leposavic (media)
Koci: Osmani and Kurti must react after EU said Serbia is violating the Brussels deal (media)
Remittances to Kosovo up 4.4% in 2025 (SeeNews)
Balkans seeing ‘serious stagnation’ in tackling corruption: Transparency International (BIRN)
US to turn over two NATO command posts to Europeans, military source says (media)

Osmani calls for constitutive session of Kosovo Assembly tomorrow (Koha)

The Office of the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said today that Osmani has called for the constitutive session of the new Kosovo Assembly to be held tomorrow, February 11, starting at 12:00. The decision on the date was made after consultations with the majority of parliamentary parties and given the urgency of creating the institutions, the adoption of the budget and international agreements.

Kurti: Tomorrow we’ll answer the obligation for the constitutive session (Sinjali)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that “we will answer the obligation for the constitutive session [of the Kosovo Assembly] and I believe that everything will go smoothly and well”. He made the remarks when asked by reporters today about President Vjosa Osmani calling the constitutive session for Wednesday.

Konjufca says he expects new government to be formed tomorrow (Koha)

Deputy leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Glauk Konjufca, said today that he expects that on Wednesday in addition to the constitution of the new Assembly, the new government too will be formed. “The Assembly will be constituted tomorrow, and I very much hope that the [new] government too. We have never refused the rulings of the Constitutional Courts. They were political battles, but when the Constitutional Court sealed them, we withdrew,” he said.

Spahiu: Assembly deputy speaker from SL List, and Rasic will be minister (Kosovo Online)

Analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu believes that the Vetevendosje Movement will respect the Constitutional Court’s decision that the deputy speaker of the Assembly from the Serb community must be proposed by the majority of MPs representing that community, and he believes that this time a deputy speaker from the Serbian List, which holds nine out of ten guaranteed mandates, will pass the vote in parliament.

He says that although Vetevendosje has so far criticized most decisions of the Constitutional Court, it has nevertheless adhered to them, and that it has not happened so far that the party has acted against Constitutional Court decisions.

“That decision was adopted by a majority of votes in the Constitutional Court, and I think they will have to respect it because it is not in their interest for anything to be delayed in the formation of institutions. Using the argument that they must respect that decision, I think the deputy speaker of parliament from the Serbian List will pass. Anything they would do differently would be against their own interest,” Spahiu told Kosovo Online.

When it comes to the selection of a minister from the Serbian community, Spahiu is convinced that it will be Nenad Rasic, the leader of the party For Freedom, Justice and Survival. “It will be Rasic, there is no doubt about that, because neither the decisions of the Constitutional Court nor the Constitution state anywhere that the minister must come from the party that has the majority of votes within the Serbian minority, so Rasic will be the minister. He will have 65 votes in parliament, so it will pass comfortably. The minister will be Rasic, and the deputy speaker of parliament will be from the Serb List,” Spahiu said.

Around 200,000 people expected to attend march in support of former KLA leaders (Klan)

Representative of the platform “Liria ka Emer” [Freedom has a Name], Ismail Tasholli, said in an interview with Klan Kosova today that around 200,000 people are expected to take part in the march in support of former KLA leaders on February 17 in Pristina. He said the organizers received support from all mayors to organize the march titled “Justice, not politics”.

“We have said it from the beginning, and I believe we have reached the maturity as a society too that beyond any political perspective the KLA is the Olympus of our efforts for freedom. The other aspect is technical, because ‘Liria ka Emer’ functions on voluntary basis and we need assistance with organizations. So far, every mayor has offered their support,” Tasholli said. “We have engagement from all political parties, and this is good news for a society that has grown tired from the daily noises.”

EU supports efforts of Kosovo authorities to ensure all people in Kosovo are registered (Kossev)

The European Union supports the efforts of the Kosovo authorities to ensure that all persons residing in Kosovo are "duly registered", "in accordance with the laws of Kosovo" and provided with documents, either as citizens of Kosovo or as persons with a valid residence permit.

This is the response of the EU spokesperson to the inquiry of the Kossev news website sent at the end of January, on the occasion of the allegedly announced formation of an international commission, i.e. a working group to help Serbs from Kosovo in connection with the implementation of the law on foreigners and vehicles.

“We support the efforts of the Government of Kosovo to ensure that all persons residing in Kosovo are duly registered in accordance with the laws of Kosovo and that they are provided with Kosovo documents, either as citizens or as persons with a valid residence permit,” the European Union spokesperson's response reads, submitted 16 days later.

According to them, the Kosovo authorities should ensure proper registration for all: “In order to be carried out in an orderly manner”.

While they did not directly answer whether the Working Group had been formed, they nevertheless stated that the EU, as a partner of the Kosovo authorities: we put our expertise at your disposal to help anyone whose registration is not yet complete.

They then welcomed the decision of the Kosovo government to launch an information campaign, which is being carried out after the announced full implementation of the Law on Breaks and Vehicles, which is scheduled for March 15.

The Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles

An information campaign is underway to announce the implementation of two Kosovo laws – on vehicles and foreigners, which directly affect Serbs in Kosovo who are educated, live and work in Kosovo and whose identity documents are kept in the cities of central Serbia, as well as on the Serbs from Kosovo who drive cars with authorizations and registration of cities in Serbia.

In fact, it is a euphemism for the substantial postponement of the full implementation of this law, with lobbying from the international community, and the expression of concern from the Serbian side.

The Law on Foreigners, which was adopted in 2013, and the Law on Vehicles, which was adopted in 2017, and whose implementation was first announced for November 1 last year, was then postponed to January 15, 2026, as the date of implementation. At that time, the Kosovo authorities announced a period of information campaign for both laws. However, on the eve of January 15, the implementation of these laws was postponed for 24 hours, and then on January 16 it was practically postponed for another two months, when the authorities in Pristina announced another information campaign, and after March 15, the full implementation of both laws.

The campaign began the next day, in which bilingual information flyers with detailed explanations of rights, obligations and possible consequences in case of violation of regulations are distributed to people entering the territory of Kosovo.

US will continue to support KSF with military equipment (RFE)

The United States Embassy in Kosovo will continue to support the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in the acquisition of US military equipment, thereby promoting US businesses and trade ties between the US and Kosovo, a spokesperson for the embassy told Radio Free Europe.

The spokesperson said that the strong military cooperation between the US and Kosovo is helping the KSF become self-sufficient and making Kosovo a key contributor to regional and global stability.

“The United States fully support the 10-year transition of the Kosovo Security Force into a multiethnic, professional, and NATO-interoperable territorial defense force, capable of enhancing regional security and advancing US security interests,” the spokesperson said.

Kosovo is ready to contribute to International Stabilization Force in Gaza (RTK)

The news website reports that Kosovo, as a member of the Board of Peace, and through the Ministry of Defense, has expressed readiness to contribute with the Kosovo Security Force to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The engagement comes as part of Kosovo’s role in the Board of Peace, a body established by US President Donald Trump where Kosovo is a founding member.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense said that such an engagement for the KSF reflects Kosovo’s increasing role as a responsible and contributing factor to the architecture of international security. “The Kosovo Security Force is known for its professionalism, discipline and capacities in search-and-rescue and demining operations, as well as in other military areas. Through this engagement Kosovo aims to make a substantial contribution to efforts for stabilization and sustainable peacebuilding. In this context, the Republic of Kosovo is already involved in relevant political decision-making bodies, including the Board of Peace, with the goal to actively contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world and to strengthen international cooperation,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.

Arben Fetoshi from the Pristina-based OCTOPUS Institute said that the invitation to Kosovo has a strategic importance because it confirms Kosovo as a stability factor in the Western Balkans. “The Kosovo Security Force, as in the past, given the close partnership with the United States and other NATO countries, is one step closer to being consolidated as a force that guarantees Kosovo’s membership in the North-Atlantic Alliance. In the current context of geopolitical clashes, it is of crucial interest for Kosovo to become part of NATO as soon as possible,” he argued.

Police find military ammunition and equipment in Leposavic (media)

Kosovo Police said in a report that they found ammunition and equipment with the emblem of Serbia in an uninhabited house in the north of Kosovo, in Leposavic.

Koci: Osmani and Kurti must react after EU said Serbia is violating the Brussels deal (media)

Pristina-based attorney Arianit Koci said in a Facebook post today that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti must react after an official statement by the European Commission on Monday that Serbia is violating the Brussels Agreement from 2015 by arresting people from Kosovo. “Serbia has no right to arrest any KLA member for acts allegedly committed in Kosovo. Therefore, the arrests and penal prosecution of Kosovo nationals without a request from our institutions, goes against the obligations assumed in the dialogue,” he said.

Koci also said in the post that he was currently in Serbia about the arrest of another former member of KLA arrested by Serbian authorities. “Do not travel through Serbia if you were a member of the KLA or of Kosovo security mechanisms,” he advised.

Remittances to Kosovo up 4.4% in 2025 (SeeNews)

Foreign remittances to Kosovo increased to 1.415 billion euro ($1.69 billion) last year, from 1.355 billion euro in the previous year, the central bank said on Monday, quoting preliminary data.

In December alone, foreign remittances to Kosovo rose 7.5% to 140 million euro, the central bank said in a monthly data release.

In 2024, foreign remittances to Kosovo rose 1.1%.

Balkans seeing ‘serious stagnation’ in tackling corruption: Transparency International (BIRN)

Weak institutions and democratic backsliding in the Western Balkans and across South-East Europe are driving corruption and shrinking civic space, says Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index for 2025, published on Tuesday.

The report by the Berlin-headquartered anti-graft watchdog warns that corruption is worsening globally, with even established democracies experiencing rising corruption amid a long-term decline in leadership trying tackle the issue.

Eastern Europe, together with Central Asia, remains one of the lowest-performing regions, with widespread impunity for corruption being driven by the vested interests that dominate most governments and their institutions.

The report also highlights the main problems facing the Western Balkan region – concentration of power in fewer hands, political influence on the judiciary and pressures on civil society.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Serbia ranked lowest in the Western Balkans, according to the report.

Among European Union member states, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania were the lowest scorers.

Lidija Prokic, regional adviser for Eastern and South East Europe at Transparency International, told BIRN that the NGO is seeing “serious signs of stagnation when it comes to anti-corruption across Westen Balkans countries”.

“And what is also striking is that in some countries, we see the continuity of decline, which we’ve also observed in other democracies that started to autocratise and where anti-corruption suffered severely from those processes,” Prokic said.

The Corruption Perception Index for 2025 shows that across the Western Balkans, opacity of decisions on high-value investment projects and about bilateral agreements with other governments is a common issue.

“We see that these decisions largely remain with narrow circle of politicians, and we usually don’t see either we don’t see any information about such agreements, or there is very little that is revealed to the public,” Prokic said.