UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 31, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Government approves allocation of half a million euros for Gaza (Koha)
Government grants KPA properties for use by MoD and KSF (media)
Kosovo leaders pay homage to former KLA commander Zahir Pajaziti (media)
ECAP fines VV with €8 thousand for obstruction of journalists during campaign (media)
Elezi: Deadline for media accreditation until February 4 (media)
Trump’s funding freeze: How will USAID funds affect Kosovo? (RTK)
KFOR and Swiss Embassy discuss security and stability in Kosovo (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic receives Tajani in Belgrade (Tanjug)
Djuric: Tajani's visit impetus to further development of Serbia-Italy partnership (media)
Vucic: Meloni to visit Belgrade in a few weeks' time (Tanjug)
Strache: A solution akin to South Tyrol needed for Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Serbian People's Movement from Kosovo in front of RTS: We want to be heard too, not just Serbian List (RTS)
Two Serbs briefly detained in Gnjilane over inscriptions in Russian on their t-shirts (KoSSev)
Gerxhaliu: Kosovo government is looking forward to failure of domestic exporters (Kosovo Online, FB)
Student column continues march to Novi Sad (N1)
Consumer protection association calls for one-day retail chain boycott in Serbia (N1)

International Media:

Week in review: Testing times, elusive compromises (Balkan Insight)
Political hate speech keeps Kosovo’s election complaints panel busy (Balkan Insight)
Croatians boycott Coca-Cola and other brands in price hike revolt (Balkan Insight)
To counter Russian narratives, Ukraine should recognize Kosovo (Nationalinterest)

Albanian Language Media

Government approves allocation of half a million euros for Gaza (Koha)

The Kosovo government has approved in its meeting today the allocation of 500 thousand euros for Gaza. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the government of Kosovo welcomes the agreement in Gaza and hopes that this temporary ceasefire will be used to achieve lasting peace.

Government grants KPA properties for use by Ministry of Defense and KSF (media)

The government of Kosovo has approved the granting of the properties of the Kosovo Forest Agency for use by the Ministry of Defense and the Kosovo Security Force. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that by increasing capacities and improving conditions, the Kosovo Army is being strengthened. “We are increasing and strengthening our army, more dignity, more conditions, more budget and more weapons are being added to the Kosovo Security Force ... today, on the date of the fall of the hero Zahir Pajaziti, we will make a decision to grant the army the property in Batllava for use, for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the KSF, the properties of the Kosovo Forest Agency, namely the socially owned property in Batllava with an area of 100 hectares, will be put in use to increase the operational capacities of our army”.

Kosovo leaders pay homage to former KLA commander Zahir Pajaziti (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid homage to the monument of the national hero Zahir Pajaziti. “On the 26th anniversary of the heroic fall of Zahir Pajaziti, Hakif Zejnullah and Edmond Hoxha, together with the President of the Republic, Vjosa Osmani Sadriu and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla Schwarz, with ministers of our Government and MPs of the Assembly, we commemorated their work for freedom, for the state and for our independence. Glory to all the heroes, the fallen and martyrs of our people,” Kurti wrote on social network Facebook.

"The ideal for which Zahir Pajaziti and his friends fought should serve us especially today, because freedom and sovereignty are not taken for granted, they must constantly be protected and maintained, therefore, by working every day with dedication to our state and to the interests of the Republic of Kosovo and its citizens, we honor every hero who gave his life for Kosovo, including the hero Zahir Pajaziti," Osmani said.

Opposition political parties also paid homage at the Zahir Pajaziti monument in the center of Prishtina.

ECAP fines LVV with €8 thousand for obstruction of journalists during campaign (media)

The Electoral Complaints and Submissions Panel (ECAP) has decided to punish the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) with a total fine of €8 thousand for two different cases of obstructing journalists during the election campaign. In one of the cases, the LVV was fined 5 thousand 500 euros for obstructing journalists at its rally in Malisheva, held on January 25, 2025. The complaint about this incident was filed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), together with their coalition partners. In addition, LVV has also been fined 2,500 euros for another case of obstructing journalists during an electoral rally in Klina. In this case, the PDK filed a complaint with the ECAP.

Elezi: Deadline for media accreditation until February 4 (media)

The application period for media accreditation for the Kosovo Assembly Elections is ongoing. CEC Spokesperson Valmir Elezi told RTKLive that the deadline for submitting requests for accreditation of local and international media will end on February 4, 2025. “Only media accredited by the Central Election Commission can observe the Elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, which will be held on February 9, 2025, and other activities that will take place in the 38 Municipal Counting Centers (MCCs) and the Counting and Results Center (CRC),” Elezi said.

Trump’s funding freeze: How will USAID funds affect Kosovo? (RTK)

President Donald Trump’s abrupt freeze of U.S. foreign aid is sending shockwaves through Eastern Europe, leaving pro-democracy groups, independent media, civil society initiatives and local governments struggling to make ends meet in a region often defined by East-West rivalries.

Sytrime Dervisholi, executive director of the Kosovo Prefabricated Construction Association, said the cutoff of USAID funding will negatively impact her association’s ability to provide technical assistance to member companies seeking vocational education and training and access to grants. “Kosovo, but also our association … is dependent on foreign aid, mainly USAID,” she said. “So, we really hope that this measure ... will be canceled after 90 days,” when the funding reviews by U.S. officials are complete.

Safet Gerxhaliu, an independent economic analyst in Kosovo, also believes that the USAID freeze could have “a very negative impact” affecting everything from the government to the private sector and education. “I believe the impact is very bad, because those measures come at the same time when Kosovo is under the European Union's sanctions,” he said.

KFOR and Swiss Embassy discuss security and stability in Kosovo (RTK)

KFOR Commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, met on Thursday with the Swiss Ambassador to Kosovo, Jurg Sprecher, at the KFOR Headquarters in Camp Film City in Pristina. The NATO mission's announcement states that they discussed several topics, including long-term security throughout Kosovo, the regional stability situation, and KFOR's efforts in support of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.

"Major General Barduani also congratulated Ambassador Sprecher on Switzerland's long-term contributions to KFOR and regional stability. This meeting was part of Major General Barduani's regular interactions with his respective counterparts in Kosovo and the region," the announcement says.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic receives Tajani in Belgrade (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Italian Deputy PM and FM Antonio Tajani in Belgrade on Friday. Vucic and Tajani met at the Palace of Serbia and are due to speak to reporters after the meeting.

Before the bilateral meeting, they attended the opening of a Serbia-Italy business forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

Djuric: Tajani's visit impetus to further development of Serbia-Italy partnership (media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric welcomed Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport on Friday.

Djuric noted Tajani's visit would lend an impetus to further development of a strategic partnership between Serbia and Italy, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

The welcoming ceremony at the airport was also attended by Serbian Ambassador to Italy Mirjana Jeremic and Italian Ambassador to Serbia Luca Gori.

Vucic: Meloni to visit Belgrade in a few weeks' time (Tanjug)

Addressing a Serbia-Italy business forum, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would visit Belgrade in a few weeks' time, once a new Serbian government was elected, Tanjug news agency reported.

Vucic thanked Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for coming to Belgrade and expressed gratitude to Italian companies taking part in the forum.

"I am very happy you are in Belgrade today. I am sorry PM Meloni will be coming to Belgrade only in a few weeks' time, once we elect a government. It was all unplanned..., but that is the way it goes in politics. Fortunately, Serbian-Italian relations are so stable, and rest assured that Serbia will know how to preserve its internal stability so that, whatever happens, our relations cannot be disturbed", Vucic said.

Strache: A solution akin to South Tyrol needed for Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has stated that a solution akin to South Tyrol is necessary for the Serbs in Kosovo. "I have always said that for the Serbian part of Kosovo, a solution like in South Tyrol is needed. Autonomy is needed, with clear rights", Strache told Kosovo Online.

He is convinced that only in this way can the issue be sustainably resolved. "However, as I see it, this problem has not been peacefully resolved to this day, which I would wish", he added.

Strache, known for his positive attitudes towards Serbs and Serbia, wants to return to Austrian politics. He announced that with the "Team HC Strache" list, he intends to participate in the elections in the province and city of Vienna, scheduled for April 27.

By February 27, he must collect enough signatures to nominate his list, and he is confident that he can surpass the threshold and thus significantly influence political life again.

Serbian People's Movement from Kosovo in front of RTS: We want to be heard too, not just Serbian List (RTS, Danas)

A conference of the Serbian People's Movement from Kosovo held in front of RTS, where they expressed dissatisfaction with the media reporting on their activities in Kosovo. They believe that their voice should be heard, and not that the programs, as they say, only show the Serbia List campaign, RTS website reported.

The president of the Serbian People's Movement from Kosovo, Milija Bisevac, stated at the conference that their goal is to send a message to RTS, but also to other media outlets that the truth should not be concealed, and that they should visit people on the ground, as well as to understand that life there is difficult.

"We are at a historical moment; Serbs are living in a ghetto. For years, we have been denied the right to speak by the authorities in Pristina and Albin Kurti. We want the truth to be heard in Serbia, for them to understand that there are some people down there who want to fight, and not just the Serbian List that is being favored," Bisevac pointed out.

Danas reports that the deputy president of the SNP, Branimir Stojanovic, told journalists in front of RTS, that they do not accept the way RTS treats the elections in Kosovo and that they are asking the Public Service to organize a televised debate for all those Serbs from Kosovo who want to exchange arguments about who should speak in their behalf.

Two Serbs briefly detained in Gnjilane over inscriptions in Russian on their t-shirts (KoSSev)

Kosovo police has briefly detained and then released two Serbs in Gnjilane who entered the café bar in this town and got reported by people there as they were wearing t-shirts which according to them “incited hatred”, KoSSev portal reported. The event took place last night around 21.00 hrs.

In brief police report this morning it was said that two males, citizens of Serbia, in company of one more person, carried out a criminal act of “inciting division and intolerance,” adding they were arrested and soon released.

In a follow up discussion with police spokesperson for the region of Gnjilane, Ismet Hashani, it was explained that this arrest took place upon reports from people that those two persons are wearing t-shirts “with some Russian inscriptions”.

“They entered a bar and there were many people. When people saw them wearing some t-shirts with Russian inscriptions they called the police. There were no incidents, they were detained, interviewed and released soon afterwards”, Hashani told KoSSev portal.

Gerxhaliu: Kosovo government is looking forward to failure of domestic exporters (Kosovo Online, FB)

Economic expert Safet Gerxhaliu criticized the Kosovo Government that ''instead of encouraging, it demotivates local companies to export more, it looks forward to the failure of unprotected companies'', reported Kosovo Online.

"Instead of mobilizing economic and political diplomacy to support and open new markets for the export of 'Made in Kosovo' products, we look forward to the failure of unprotected and unsupported domestic companies," Gerxhaliu said on his FB account.

Commenting on the statements of Kosovo officials that "local business failures are a kind of victory", he assessed that this is a situation that is "both funny and depressing", but also very serious for Kosovo.

"Where are we going when we encourage failure and like to say that local business failures are some kind of victory? This is a situation that we should all be concerned about because it is local businesses that sustain the economy and create employment opportunities," said Gerxhaliu.

According to him, the government's strategy should be to support all private individuals who are struggling on the international market.

"Not to see them as losers and encourage even more stagnation. This is the time when we focus on concrete actions and strategies that will enable sustainable development and real support for our economy and businesses. Is the word 'misery' enough to describe this state," asked Gerxhaliu.

Student column continues march to Novi Sad (N1)

The column of Belgrade University students continued its march to Novi Sad on Friday after spending the night in the town of Indjija, N1 reported.

The column started its march from outside the Belgrade Arts University School of Drama Arts in New Belgrade, walking through that part of the city and stopping to observe the 15 Minutes of Silence along the way. They were cheered on by people in villages and suburbs where they passed. The first big break was in the suburb of Batajnica after marching some 16 kilometres where the locals prepared food and handed out water, soft drinks and sweets. The same happened in Indjija where they spent the night in tents at the town stadium. They were given styrofoam boards to put their sleeping bags on.

The march is a show of support for the Novi Sad University students who are planning to block that city’s three main bridges in a 24-hour protest on Saturday. The students are expected to complete the 80+ kilometer march on Friday evening with stops in the towns of Cortanovci and Sremski Karlovci just outside Novi Sad. A column of people on bicycles is expected to catch up to the marchers on Friday afternoon.

Consumer protection association calls for one-day retail chain boycott in Serbia (N1)

The Efektiva consumer protection association urged citizens to boycott major retail chains on January 31 to protest excessive profit margins.

Speaking to N1, Efektiva’s Dejan Gavrilovic explained that consumers should not stockpile from these retailers on Thursday, but instead shop at small stores and farmers’ markets on Friday. The boycott targets five retail chains, including Lidl and four others recently investigated by the Competition Protection Commission, all which Efektiva claims maintain high pricing policies.

Gavrilovic challenged the notion that Serbia’s high food prices are solely due to global inflation. “How do you explain the fact that a product made in Serbia is cheaper in the US, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro than in Serbia? This isn’t just about inflation – retail chains are maintaining high profit margins,” he said.

Gavrilovic referenced former Prime Minister Milos Vucevic’s October announcement that the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) and Security Information Agency (BIA) would investigate potential price manipulation.

“He never mentioned it again. They later launched the ‘best price’ campaign, which was merely a distraction,” Gavrilovic told N1.

When asked about the timing of the boycott, Gavrilovic explained that they initially held off when the Competition Protection Commission spoke out, hoping that the state would intervene.

He described the upcoming action as a “warning boycott” designed to test consumer influence and responses from both the government and retail chains.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina also, a boycott of shops, cafes, restaurants and gas stations is being carried out today due to high prices, reported BH RT.

Media in North Macedonia also reported a boycott of certain shops and chains due to high product prices. Through social networks, citizens list markets that should be "avoided", calling on the authorities in Skopje to sanction all unscrupulous traders.

RTCG reported that in Montenegro the boycott of supermarkets and stores, which was supported by Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, successfully started this morning.

In Croatia today, due to high prices, the boycott of shops and supermarkets, which was launched last week by the Internet platform "Hello, Inspector", continued. Organizers call on citizens to boycott trade and services, reported HRT.

International

Week in review: Testing times, elusive compromises (Balkan Insight)

In our weekly roundup of Balkan Insight Premium stories, political crises big and small are engulfing several countries in the region, while others gear up for tense elections - and a story of resurrection from Albania adds a bright spot.

Standoff in Serbia

Events are overtaking each other in Serbia. Three months in, protests sparked by the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 15 people at the beginning of November, are intensifying rather than subsiding. The government of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic has become the latest victim. As the ruling SNS party began its fightback last week with a rally in the town of Jagodina, and as the party leadership tried to dial down tensions this week, a night-time physical attack by apparent SNS supporters on student activists turned everything upside down.

Dubious claims

As Kosovo’s parliamentary election campaign reaches its final stages, plenty of ambitious claims and accusations are flying around. Albin Kurti, Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Vetevendosje party, claims that enormous steps have been taken on ending poverty.

In our fact-check this week, we put this claim to the test. The economy may be growing and poverty may be slightly down, but the picture is far from rosy. Nor does economic growth seem to have a particularly healthy basis.