UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 4, 2023

Escobar: Implementation of Ohrid agreement must start with Association (RFE)
Rohde: Association statute to be in line with Constitution of Kosovo (Telegrafi)
EU: Management team should be functional until statute is approved (Kallxo)
EU insists Association is main issue and biggest priority (Koha)
Serwer: Bilateral isn’t working, so… (media)
EFJ calls on Kurti “not to allow further politicization of IMC” (media)
Osmani, Kurti messages on World Press Freedom Day (media)
Szunyog: Media institutional setup in Kosovo needs to be enhanced (media)
LDK: Reporters in Kosovo at threat from attacks and intimidation (media)
Kosovo rises in World Press Freedom Index, media independence still at risk (Prishtina Insight)
Balkan, Central European journalists highlight safety concerns on Press Freedom Day (BIRN)
Haki Abazi expelled from Vetevendosje parliamentary group (media)
Kosovo solar farm goes even greener, using sheep to mow the grass (Reuters)
EU, W. Balkans telcos to cut data roaming charges from October (SeeNews)
Mass shooting in Belgrade school kills nine, shocks Serbia (BIRN)
Osmani, Kurti, Bislimi send condolences after school shooting in Belgrade (media)

Escobar: Implementation of Ohrid agreement must start with Association (RFE)

U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Wednesday that the implementation of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia for the normalisation of relations should start with the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “The EU and U.S. are focused that this agreement [reached in Ohrid] becomes a reality. The implementation starts with the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities,” Escobar told a press conference online. “Normalisation is focused on the rights of minorities, especially the rights of Serbs. We expect and request to move forward with this”.

Escobar said work on the formation of the Association has started but that “we need to constantly push forward until we reach a model”.

He said he expects chief negotiators Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovic will meet in the coming two weeks “to discuss the process again”. “This process is important, and it is very important for both parties, especially Kosovo, to seriously address the process and to move swiftly to conclude it,” he added.

Escobar said that “little progress” was made in Brussels and that the parties must come up with a proposal that is acceptable for both countries. He said he believes both Kosovo and Serbia are serious about the issue “the same way that the U.S. is very serious about the expectations that progress will be made on this issue”.

Escobar said both proposals for the statute of the Association – coming from Kurti and the management team – presented in Brussels were serious, but “it is not up to me to decide, this is not a process facilitated by the U.S., but a process facilitated by Europe”.

Asked if Serbia violated the agreement when it voted against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, Escobar said he was not certain. “I am not sure if it was a violation. This depends on the European Union, who is the guarantor of the agreement. The process of implementation was not decided when the voting took place; I don’t know if Serbia was obliged not to block it,” he argued.

Escobar also said that he personally believes “there is room” for the Council of Europe “to look into the conditions and status of the Serb minority in Kosovo”. “The Council of Europe needs to ensure the full implementation of democratic standards and democratic freedoms in Europe and in countries that apply for membership,” he said.

Rohde: Statute of Association to be in line with Constitution of Kosovo (Telegrafi)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said in an interview with RTK that any statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities must be in line with the Constitution of Kosovo. “We are very far from understanding the nature of the Association, however, Germany will continue to support the full implementation of all agreements accorded and signed in Brussels. But also to support Kosovo. We have always said that any kind of statute must be in line with the Constitution of Kosovo,” he said.

Rohde argued that the politicians must work on the implementation of agreements in order to achieve what everyone wants, stability and peace.

“Now we have a situation where we still have parallel structures. The whole purpose of the Association is to bring the parallel structures within Kosovo’s legislation,” he said.

Rohde also criticised the Kosovo government for relieving from duty the members of the Management Team, saying that the decision is not in line with the Brussels agreements.

EU: Management team should be functional until statute is approved (Kallxo)

Spokesperson for the European Union, Peter Stano, told the news website that the dialogue agreements state clearly that the Management Team should be functional until the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is approved.

“As for the reported decision of Kosovo to dismiss the management team, the dialogue agreements clearly state that the management team must be in operation until the statute of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is approved,” Stano said. He added that the decision to dismiss the team is in violation of the letter and spirit of the dialogue agreements.

Stano said that “any decision regarding the management team must be approved in the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue”. He said that the facilitators will invite the chief negotiators to start negotiations on the statute and that the Management Team will be invited to take part in the process if necessary.

EU insists Association is main issue and biggest priority (Koha)

Following the meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels, European diplomats insist that despite the disagreements, the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is the main issue and biggest priority. They called on parties to be more constructive in their approach and to work on creating an atmosphere where reaching a compromise will be possible.

European officials say they are most interested in avoiding a tense situation in the north of Kosovo after the recent elections there. This is why they will continue to look for modalities to overcome the crisis that was created with the withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo’s institutions in the north.

Serwer: Bilateral isn’t working, so… (media)

Opinion piece by U.S. analyst on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer.

Yesterday Serbian President Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti failed to reach any further agreement at their umpteenth meeting of the EU-sponsored Belgrade/Pristina dialogue in Brussels. The two leaders merely reiterated a longstanding pledge to deal with the outstanding issue of missing persons from the 1998/99 Serbian repression and Kosovo rebellion. The best that can be hoped is that they will now fulfill that pledge.

Prime Minister Kurti explicitly rejected a Serbian government proposal to create an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM) inside Kosovo. Suzana Starikov (@Intetyst) reports that he called it:

fundamentally incompatible w/Constitution, w/democratic & European values, w/human & minority rights according to European standards

That is a thoroughgoing repudiation. Petrit Selimi reports:

The statute of Association proposed by the Management Team led by a Serbian MP doesn’t pass, what one diplomat called a “laughability test”. Belgrade wants ASM to “execute laws”, “organize referendums”, “establish institutions & agencies”. It’s a non-starter in 90% of content.

Kosovo seems not to have put forward its own proposal, despite many urgings to do so.

The bilateral approach just isn’t working

The EU is warning about possible violence due to this stalemate. That is realistic. Belgrade has several times in the past year or so precipitated violence in Serb-majority northern Kosovo. Serbia is trying its best to demonstrate that Kosovo cannot govern there and to get the Americans and Europeans to convince Pristina to let Belgrade do it through the ASM. Kurti isn’t buying, not only because he wants to protect Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but also because Serbia, the US and the EU are offering him little in exchange.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3ARIdTB

EFJ calls on Kurti “not to allow further politicization of IMC” (media)

Ricardo Gutierrez, Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti should not allow the further politicization of the Independent Media Commission. “The Kosovo Assembly is expected to elect today three new members of the Independent Media Commission (IMC). I am deeply concerned to hear that Kosovo ruling party Levizja Vetvendosje is about to elect persons who are public supporters of their party! I call on PM Albin Kurti not to allow further politization of IMC,” Gutierrez wrote.

Osmani, Kurti messages on World Press Freedom Day (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday that “media freedom is not just a sign of a healthy society, it is a pillar of a thriving democracy”. “Today, on #WorldPressFreedomDay, we celebrate Kosovo’s continued successes in international indices, but we also renew our commitment to defend the invaluable role of free and unbiased media,” Osmani wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote on Twitter: “On World Press Freedom Day we're proud to announce that according to Reporters without Borders, Kosova improved its standing by 22 places in 2 years for its journalistic environment. A free and independent press will always remain an important pillar of democracy and Kosovo”. “Kosovo has once again made progress in terms of press freedom, according to the World Press Freedom Index 2023, published by Reporters Without Borders,” he said.

Szunyog: Media institutional setup in Kosovo needs to be enhanced (media)

Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, said on World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, that despite Kosovo enjoying a lively and pluralistic media environment, physical attacks, threats, and smear campaigns against journos, women in particular, remain a concern. “Was honoured to support today the Association of Journalists of Kosovo in marking the World Press Freedom Day along with Arnhild Spence [the United Nations Development Coordinator in Kosovo] and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. Despite Kosovo enjoying a lively and pluralistic media environment, physical attacks, threats, and smear campaigns against journos, women in particular, remain a concern. Further to this, media institutional set-up in Kosovo needs to be enhanced to enable the professional and impartial functioning of the media, and the laws on RTK and Independent Media Commission amended to align with the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive. By hosting and providing shelter to Ukraine and Afghani journalists, Kosovo set an example of how to assist journalists in dire situations. The EU and its partners will continue to support the development of free and professional media in Kosovo, helping ensure media freedom as a pillar of democracy,” Szynuog wrote in a Twitter post.

LDK: Reporters in Kosovo at threat from attacks and intimidation (media)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said on Wednesday that the lives of reporters in Kosovo are at threat from constant attacks and intimidation. On World Press Freedom Day, the LDK said the judiciary must address these with high priority. “The LDK is grateful to the commitment of reporters that continue their unwavering work to investigate, report and tell the truth despite pressure and intimidation,” the statement notes.

Kosovo rises in World Press Freedom Index, media independence still at risk (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo moved up five places in the World Press Freedom Index, according to the worldwide organization Journalists Without Borders, but dangers still exist.

On World Press Freedom Day, the media watchdog organization Journalists Without Borders published its Country Index, and Kosovo ranked in 56th place, an improvement of five places from last year’s 61st position.

However, media independence in Kosovo is still at risk due to weak regulations and dependence on party distribution of public funds and the increased targeting of journalists by SLAPPs by business groups, according to the report.

The report states that Kosovo has a pluralistic and vibrant media market, but even if the media manages to hold politicians accountable, journalists remain the target of political attacks.