UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 6, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani before ECP summit: Today is an important day for our continent (Express)
Osmani to meet Scholz and Macron in Prague today, sources say (Koha)
Progress Report on Kosovo to be published on October 12 (RTK)
Mandl: We need to give visa liberalisation to Kosovo fast (Lajmi/APA)
Teachers’ salaries, Kusari-Lila: There will be a solution soon (Nacionale)
PDK boycotts assembly sessions, will press charges against Finance Minister (Klan)
Education union will wait until Friday for teachers’ salaries to be paid (Telegrafi)
Svecla hails anti-extortion operation: We won’t stop fighting crime (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

Giaufret calls for joint response to war in Ukraine (RTS, N1)
RTS: EU puts off decision on ban on Russian oil imports to W. Balkans (N1)
Vucic meeting Macron, Scholz in Prague (Tanjug)
No Russian oil for Serbia as of November 1, Brnabic: Croatia’s ultimatum (FoNet, N1, Happy TV)
Still no decision to start Kosovo's CoE admission procedure (Tanjug)
RFE: No exemption for Western Balkans because of Serbia (N1)
Gracanica mayor: The procedure for annulment of the decision on land exchange is being initiated (KoSSev, KiM radio)
Rohde: The licence plates decision legitimate but deadline short; Petkovic: It jeopardizes the dialogue process (KoSSev)
Enthronement of Patriarch Porfirije in the Patriarchate of Pec on October 14 (media)

International:

Europe is quietly launching a new political club — with hopes Brexit turmoil can be forgiven (CNBC)
Macron’s New Europe Debuts in the Shadow of War (The New York Times)
Sceptical Liz Truss attends first meeting of European Political Community (The Guardian)
Macron's European Political Community summit opens in Prague (rfi.fr)
China Index: Beijing’s Influence Expands in Southeast Europe (BIRN)
BiH elections: Republika Srpska opposition claims 65,000 votes ‘contaminated’ (N1)

Humanitarian/Development:

Politika: 17,000 Russians and Ukrainians in Serbia (FoNet, N1)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani before ECP summit: Today is an important day for our continent (Express)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said today before the first meeting of the European Political Community, that today is an important day for our continent. “I am here to represent the Republic of Kosovo in this new and important platform where all of us are equal and we will have the opportunity to have our voices heard, and to express ideas and to take part in actions toward common challenges”.

“We are faced with difficult times and there are major challenges before us but I am confident that if we stand united we will be able to successfully overcome every challenge”.

Osmani to meet Scholz and Macron in Prague today, sources say (Koha)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, will meet today in Prague with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, the news website reports citing unnamed sources. Osmani will attend the first meeting of the European Political Community. The EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will be among the topics of discussion at the summit.

Progress Report on Kosovo to be published on October 12 (RTK)

The European Commission will publish the Progress Report on Kosovo on October 12. The EU Office in Kosovo confirmed the information to Radio Kosova today.

Mandl: We need to give visa liberalisation to Kosovo fast (Lajmi/APA)

Member of the European Parliament, Lukas Mandl, said in an interview with Austria Press Agency, that the European Union must make it clear that visa liberalisation for Kosovo must be enforced as soon as possible. He argued that by giving visa liberalisation to Kosovo, the EU will help advance the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“It must be clear that we will enforce soon the delayed visa liberalisation for the Republic of Kosovo, to advance the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, to overcome tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also to give this country, same as Ukraine and Moldova, the candidate status,” he said. “Another urgent and important step for a better future is to bring the Serbian state leadership closer to European values and in this way defend Europe''.

Mandl also called on the five non-recognising EU member states to recognise Kosovo.

Teachers’ salaries, Kusari-Lila: There will be a solution soon (Nacionale)

Head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said today that soon a solution will be found for the salaries of teachers who were on strike in September. Following a meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency, she said that there is a difference between the administrations in municipalities and the teachers, but that the government will act in accordance with the laws and social aspects.

“It is a well-known fact that teachers did not work. A solution will be found soon, and I call on everyone to refrain from giving this problem a political spin. The problem is social and legal. A contradiction between the applicable laws in Kosovo, and the Government and the Assembly need to make sure that laws are enforced but at the same time not to ignore the moral aspect,” Kusari-Lila said.

PDK boycotts assembly sessions, says will press charges against Finance Minister (Klan)

Head of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Abelard Tahiri, walked out of today’s meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency, in sign of revolt over the non-payment of salaries of teachers for the month of September.

Tahiri also said that PDK MPs will not attend assembly sessions. “We cannot act normal toward a situation where there is abuse of official position. We said we will not attend the sessions. We will press charges against [Finance] Minister Hekuran Murati today,” he told reporters.

Education union will wait until Friday for teachers’ salaries to be paid (Telegrafi)

A representative of the Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBASHK), Reshit Kukaj, told the news website today that they will wait until Friday for the salaries of teachers who were on strike in September to be paid. “On Monday we sent a complaint to the government why the salaries were not paid. The deadline for their response is five days. We expect a response tomorrow and also a decision why the salaries were not allocated. Afterwards, we will proceed with other union actions. We will decide on the measures after we receive an answer from the government. We will not do anything without consulting with the union’s membership,” he said.

Svecla hails anti-extortion operation: We won’t stop fighting crime (Nacionale)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, hailed the anti-extortion operation that was carried out in Prizren, Suhareka and Malisheva on Wednesday, saying that the government will not stop in its fight against organised crime. “Our fight against organised crime and every other kind of crime will continue without compromise and everyone will be treated the same before the law regardless of their positions … I use this opportunity to invite and encourage our citizens to cooperate with law enforcement institutions so we can make sure that the rule of law is enforced in every area and in every corner of the Republic of Kosovo,” Svecla wrote on Facebook.

Serbian Language Media

Giaufret calls for joint response to war in Ukraine (RTS, N1)

European Union’s (EU) Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said that the Prague meeting will show that there is no alternative to EU enlargement and that there must be a joint response to the war in Ukraine.

Giaufret said the new summit has a new structure and organization, and that it includes everyone in Europe except Russia and Belarus.

We have 44 leaders from the EU, Western Balkans countries, Caucasus, Armenia, Turkey and many others. Of course, there are also the leaders of EU institutions and I am glad (Serbian) President (Aleksandar) Vucic will also be there, Giaufret told the Serbian state TV (RTS).

The first meeting of the European Political Community is under way in Prague which brings together EU leaders and 17 leaders of other European countries, including President Vucic.

Giaufret said Serbia is “the European Union’s strong partner” and that the whole of the Western Balkans can join the EU together.

Serbia is committed to maintaining stability and wants to be a responsible player and makes an important contribution that we appreciate not only here in the Western Balkans but also beyond, said Giaufret.

He said that there needs to be a joint response to the war in Ukraine and that “we have to stop Russia’s war machinery together”, reported n1, citing RTS.

RTS: EU puts off decision on ban on Russian oil imports to W. Balkans (N1)

The European Union (EU) has postponed its decision to exempt the Western Balkans countries from the ban on Russian oil imports and will again address the issue before the ban comes into force, reported the Serbian state TV (RTS), citing an unnamed European official in Brussels involved in the preparation of sanctions against Russia.

We will have to decide if Croatia will be able to continue importing Russian oil by sea and then delivering it to others in the Western Balkans, said the source, the RTS reported.

The European official said that, from the EU’s point of view, “it is desirable that the candidate countries be aligned with the sanctions policy, and the debate will show to what extent Serbia’s failure to align will impact the derogation, that is, the decision on the exemption from the ban on Russian oil”.

Sources say that member countries are to decide if the Western Balkans can have “a more privileged status” then they do regarding the import of Russian oil, “having in mind that we are talking about third countries that are very close to us”.

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

Vucic meeting Macron, Scholz in Prague (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will have a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague on Thursday, a source in the Presidency of Serbia has confirmed to Tanjug.

They will discuss Kosovo, as well as Serbia's European integration, the sanctions on Russia and Belgrade's strategic positioning regarding the war in Ukraine.

In the Czech capital, Vucic will attend a summit that will address an initiative to establish a European Political Community as a platform for dialogue between EU member states and aspiring members.

During the summit, Vucic will also attend a round table on energy, the economy and climate issues, the presidential press office has announced in a statement.

Vucic is also scheduled to meet with other foreign officials, including Czech President Milos Zeman, Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

No Russian oil for Serbia as of November 1, Brnabic: Croatia’s ultimatum (FoNet, N1, Happy TV)

The “introduction of sanctions” against Serbia by the European Union (EU) in the energy sector, at Croatia’s “explicit request” and based on “its ultimatum”, directly causes hundreds of millions of Euros worth of damages to Serbia and its citizens, N1 reported, citing FoNet.

“The European Union allowed these sanctions at the expense of the lives and living standard of all Serbian people, including the members of the Croat national minority. This will cost us hundreds of millions of Euros,” Brnabic told Happy TV.

In her opinion, Croatia requested these sanctions, “and brags about it” because Serbia is asking that persons responsible for the 1995 crime near Bosanski Petrovac, when Croatian aircrafts killed civilians, including children, be punished.

Brnabic said the Croatian leadership made no effort to hide that they are responsible for this and added: “This is Croatia’s open act of hostility towards Serbia.”

She explained that, because of these sanctions, the oil coming via the JANAF pipeline, built also by Serbia and its people in former Yugoslavia with their money, will be at least 20 percent more expensive.

“What they thought they would do to Russia they did to us on Wednesday, because we depend on the oil pipeline in Croatia. They are using energy for political blackmail and retribution. Croatia is, and the EU has allowed it. They are using energy for political goals,” said Brnabic, adding that she cannot wait for an explanation from the EU.

Serbia’s Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said that, starting November 1, the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) will only be importing non-Russian oil and added that NIS has been preparing for this for months.

Still no decision to start Kosovo's CoE admission procedure (Tanjug)

The Council of Europe on Wednesday concluded a discussion on Kosovo's bid for admission to the organisation, with no exact date set for another debate on the issue, said the head of Serbia's Mission to the CoE, Aleksandra Djurovic, reported Tanjug agency.

"The outcome of the meeting is that no decision has been made as yet to launch the procedure, and that we will revisit the issue at one of the next meetings," Djurovic said.

The CoE Committee of Ministers discussed Pristina's official membership application, which arrived in Strasbourg in mid-May.

In case the Committee, composed of FMs of 46 member states, accepts to discuss Pristina's application at one of the upcoming meetings, the CoE Parliamentary Assembly will vote on the matter.

A final decision will be up to the Committee of Ministers. In both cases, a two-thirds majority is required.

The procedure may take up to a year or even longer.

RFE: No exemption for Western Balkans because of Serbia (N1)

The Western Balkans will not be exempt from the European Union’s (EU) new package of sanctions against Russia due to Belgrade’s position towards official Moscow, reported N1, citing Radio Free Europe (RFE).

“Serbia is not imposing sanctions on Russia; therefore, it should not profit from a derogation. Other member states have agreed with this position,” said a diplomatic source who participated in the talks on the new package of sanctions, RFE reported.

In the first draft proposal for a new package of sanctions, Western Balkan countries were to be exempt from the limitations on the import of Russian crude oil to protect the region’s energy stability.

According to the preliminary idea, the exemption would enable the transit of Russian crude oil through the oil pipelines in Croatia, on condition that such transit remains within the limits of the average levels of transit from the previous years to avoid circumvention of sanctions.

However, diplomatic sources said that, following a debate at the level of EU member states’ ambassadors, the derogation provision was removed due to Serbia’s failure to align with EU sanctions against Russia, which are a response to Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.

Radio Free Europe had access to the latest document, finalized on October 4, in which there is no mention of any exemption for the region.

Diplomatic sources confirmed that, following an in-depth analysis, European experts arrived at a conclusion that oil imports are sufficiently diversified, therefore that there is no need for a derogation because “it is no longer necessary to buy Russian oil”.

Serbia was earlier exempt from the sanctions because the European Commission had found a solution to enable oil imports into Serbia via the JANAF oil pipeline system.

EU ambassadors reached a draft agreement on October 4 on the eighth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a price cap on Russia’s oil sales.

Gracanica mayor: The procedure for annulment of the decision on land exchange is being initiated (KoSSev, KiM radio)

The procedure for annulment of the proposal of the Decision on the exchange of municipal immovable property adopted at the fifth extraordinary session of the Municipal Assembly on September 28 this year has been initiated, announced the mayor of Gracanica Ljiljana Subaric, reported KoSSev portal.

After a series of criticisms from certain representatives of the opposition and yesterday's protests, Subaric said that the decision on the land exchange was justified, adding that she did not want to make any move to give space to "faded and spent politicians", reported the portal.

Gracanica Municipal Assembly adopted, on September 28, the "Decision on the exchange of municipal immovable property" with private property.

As initially reported by the media, based on this decision, the municipality of Gracanica would exchange, that is, give almost 17 hectares of land to Rexhe Shosha, and Shosha would in turn give the municipality 18 ares of his private road, recalled the portal.

The mayor of Gracanica soon denied the media reports, stressing that such interpretations are "incorrect and arbitrary", and said that the owner of the infrastructure land was offered a proportional part of the municipal land.

She emphasized that it was necessary for the Kosovo ministries to evaluate the value of both lands and presented the assessment of "expert services" that the land to be given will not be more than 1/6 of the mentioned plot.

However, this decision caused sharp condemnations from citizens and the opposition, and a petition was launched to annul the decision. The organizers of the protest and gathered residents assessed the decision as criminal.

Last night, Subaric announced again, this time stating that the procedure for cancelling the proposal of the Decision on the exchange of municipal immovable property "respecting the interests of the people in the first place" was initiated.

She indicated that the cancellation of this decision will be included in the agenda of the next session, but also that one third of the councillors of the Municipal Council of Gracanica demanded this.

"Although we still believe that the decision of September 28 was justified and that there were valid reasons for its adoption, we do not want to make any move to give space to faded and spent politicians to abuse and try to manipulate our people in Gracanica for the sake of their political interests," explained Subaric.

She also stated that "unity is necessary" in Gracanica and emphasized that the interests of the people will always guide decisions.

"That's why we don't want to allow anyone to abuse our people and use it to attack the Serbian List and the state of Serbia, which are the only ones fighting for our survival in these areas, and harmony and unity are our greatest values," concluded the mayor of Gracanica.

Rohde: The licence plates decision legitimate but deadline short; Petkovic: It jeopardizes the dialogue process (KoSSev)

German Ambassador to Pristina Jorn Rohde said yesterday, in an interview to TV Dukagjini, that “it is ridiculous that we are arguing about license plates, while we have a war in Europe”. He opined that Pristina’s decision on license plates is legitimate, but also that confiscating a car if someone does not have the “appropriate” license plates is not an adequate response, reported portal KoSSev.

“The decision of the Government of Kosovo on license plates is legitimate, but the deadline of two months is too short” Rohde opined. Therefore, he called for an extension of the deadline, reported the portal, citing RTV Dukagjini.

“There should be a reasonable period for the change, and I think two months is short... You need to have transitional administrative periods, in accordance with European standards. And I would say that two months is too little,” Rohde said.

He said that violence was not a good answer to this issue, because there were other mechanisms which were not extreme and can be used.

“If you have administrative violations, use reasonable means to enforce them. If you do not show a valid driver’s license the first time, you will receive a warning. The second time they fine you, and so... When we talk about confiscating a car if someone does not have the appropriate license plates, I think, that is also not an adequate answer,” he said.

He said people on both sides should calm down.

“I think it’s ridiculous that we’re fighting over license plates, while we have a war in Europe,” the ambassador said.

Petkovic: Rohde should learn to respect the will of the Serbian people

“The decision of the Government of Kosovo to abolish Serbian license plates is illegal and contrary to the agreements on freedom of movement from 2011 and 2016,” said late last night Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, reacting to Rohde’s interview, reported the portal.

"If the German representative in Pristina, Jorn Rohde, had read the previous agreements, he could have easily seen that the problem with freedom of movement did not exist while the status-neutral KS plates were in force,” said Petkovic.

He said that when Pristina “forcibly” abolished the status-neutral KS plates in 2020, no German representative came forward to say that the decision was illegitimate.

“One thing Mr. Rohde must learn, and that is to respect the will of the Serbian people who live in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and who clearly said what they think about the so-called Kurti’s re-registration. The fact that only two people in the north of the province re-registered their vehicles in a month is a clear indication that no one can force the Serbs in the north of Kosovo to stop being citizens of Serbia and to use documents issued by the Republic of Serbia,” Petkovic said.

He also said that Rohde is right about one thing - that no one should argue over license plates.

“But what Rohde didn’t say is that Albin Kurti dragged us into that dispute and crisis with his irrational actions, whose ultimate goal is actually to push out the existence of the state of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic pointed out.

“Serbian people will never allow such a vile plan,” said Petkovic.

“Peace, which we desperately need, and which Belgrade insists on, is crucial for the normalization of relations, but unfortunately, statements like this one by Mr. Rohde do not inspire hope that in fact everyone equally wants peace in the Western Balkans,” Petkovic concluded.

Enthronement of Patriarch Porfirije in the Patriarchate of Pec on October 14 (media)

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije will be enthroned on the throne of Serbian patriarchs at a ceremony to be held in the Patriarchate of Pec on October 14, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) announced today.

As stated, the ceremony will be held on the Feast of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, in Kosovo and Metohija, with the participation of several archbishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The press release reminds that in the monastery of the Patriarchate of Pec, after the establishment of the unity of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1920, the tradition of enthronement in the throne of Pec was renewed as a "visible proof of spiritual respect" to the archbishops and patriarchs ever since the acquisition of autocephaly in 1219.

In the Patriarchate of Pec were enthroned Patriarchs Dimitrije (Pavlovic) in 1924, Varnava (Rosic) in 1930, Gavrilo (Dozic) in 1938, German (Djoric) in 1960, then Patriarch Pavle (Stojcevic) in 1994 and Irinej (Gavrilovic) in 2010.

International

Europe is quietly launching a new political club — with hopes Brexit turmoil can be forgiven (CNBC)

Europe is launching a new political community today, but you’d be forgiven if you hadn’t heard of it.

There’s been a distinct lack of fanfare around the inaugural meeting Thursday of the European Political Community, or EPC. It’s a grouping designed to bring together the European Union and 17 other European countries in what’s been described as a “European security council.”

The community, spearheaded by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, is designed to foster better “political dialogue and cooperation” on issues of such as security, energy, and climate issues. The EU also says it should strengthen the “stability and prosperity” of the continent.

Humanitarian/Development

Politika: 17,000 Russians and Ukrainians in Serbia (FoNet, N1)

Over 17,000 Russians and Ukrainians have come to Serbia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, of whom 6,500 have been issued work permits, reported N1, citing Politika daily.

Approximately 3,500 Russian citizens have been granted residence in Serbia based on the right to “family reunification”, while 1,800 of them are in the process of obtaining work permits.

The National Employment Service issued 1,364 work permits to Russian citizens in the course of 2021, and 2,500 permits in the first half of 2022.