Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: We’ll do our best to constitute the assembly in spirit of cooperation (media)
• U.S. Embassy Charges d’Affaires met Osmani (media)
• Kurti reaffirms commitment to EU reforms and regional cooperation (media)
• Murati: Kosovo committed to implementing Growth Plan reforms (media)
• Osmani: US Army presence, vital to peace and stability in Kosovo, region (media)
• Kurti: Grateful for enduring friendship and shared values with the U.S. (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Spy software installed on the Serbian Democracy Vice President's mobile during his detention in Vucitrn (KiM radio, KoSSev)
• Lawyer Miljkovic: The prosecution allegation dismantled, terrorism is a qualification defined only for Serbs (Kosovo Online)
• N. Mitrovica residents: Those are the bridges of separation, their sole purpose is provocation (Kosovo Online, Blic)
• Sadiku: We were not informed about the construction of bridges in the north, there was no dialogue between the municipalities (Kosovo Online)
• Students in Blockade: Banjska fighters on duty in “Ćaciland” under threats of extradition to Kurti (KoSSev)
• Council of Europe rapporteur concerned over situation in Serbia (N1)

Opinion:

• Gogic: The Constitutional Court introduced new doubts instead of resolution to the political crisis in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

   

International:

• Weapons, warrants, and whistle protests: the tensions shaping Kosovo’s election season (Euractive)
• Balkan Countries ‘Failing to Enforce Freedom of Information Laws’: Report (PI)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti: We’ll do our best to constitute the assembly in spirit of cooperation (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today they will do their best to constitute the new Assembly in the spirit of cooperation between the political parties. After a two-hour meeting with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Kurti said that legal timelines are expiring, and that the constitution of the new assembly needs to happen by the last week of July. “We will do our best in the spirit of cooperation, with the idea of consensus or compromise, to do this, so that we can proceed with the formation of the new government,” he said.

Kurti said that he and Osmani discussed all constitutive elements of the process. He also said he will wait for the other meetings that Osmani will have with representatives of parties “to see if sufficient progress will be made”. “I think we need to give a chance to other meetings too, and then see what progress has been made,” he said.

U.S. Embassy Charges d’Affaires met Osmani (media)

Several news websites report that U.S. Embassy in Kosovo Charges d’Affaires, Anu Prattipati, met today with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on the same day that the latter is meeting leaders of political parties to find a way to emerge from the political deadlock. Prattipati gave no statement to the media after she left the meeting. 

Kurti reaffirms commitment to EU reforms and regional cooperation (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Tuesday that at the WB6 Leader's Summit in Skopje, we took stock of Kosovo's progress on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. “I reaffirmed our commitment to EU reforms and regional cooperation and stressed that equal demands for reform must come with equal access and fair funding. I touched upon various areas of progress since the last meeting in Kotor, including progress under Kosova's chairmanship at CEFTA. We have identified strategic sectors for investment for the EU's new initiative "Single Market Highway" in the ICT sector, Defense, and Agriculture. I further addressed security as a prerequisite for growth. We are not isolated from the global geopolitical landscape. We welcome the actions of the United States to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The world is undoubtedly safer without nuclear arsenals in the hands of authoritarian regimes. Our meeting today took place just days after the NATO Summit in The Hague, where a renewed commitment was made to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. We welcome this pledge. It is a necessary step to protect the Euro-Atlantic alliance and to deter autocratic regimes from provoking further conflict. A stronger Europe is a Europe that can defend itself,” Kurti said.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/0ClJX

Murati: Kosovo committed to implementing Growth Plan reforms (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, participated in the Western Balkans Leaders’ Meeting, which was held in Skopje, North Macedonia, and focused on discussions on the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans supported by the European Union. Murati, who was part of the second panel “Zooming in the Growth Plan Pillars”, highlighted Kosovo’s commitment to implementing the reforms foreseen in the Growth Plan, where Kosovo was among the first countries to have submitted the Reform Agenda. “Further, Minister Murati mentioned that Kosovo has also implemented the steps foreseen for 2024 and 2025 such as the electronic system for managing court cases, the electronic voting system in the Assembly and the launch of the largest renewable energy project, the wind farm with a capacity of 100 MW.   Minister Murati welcomed the European Commission's proposal for the “Single Market Highway”, an initiative that will connect the economies of the Western Balkans with the European Union market, highlighting Kosovo’s readiness to make the necessary regulatory harmonization as well as to continue with the implementation of concrete reforms and policies towards integration into the European Union,” a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance notes.

Osmani: US Army presence, vital to peace and stability in Kosovo, region (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that she met on Tuesday with the outgoing and incoming commanders of the US KFOR Regional Command East (RC-E)—Col. Peter Helzer and Col. Jonathan Lloyd. “I thanked Col. Helzer for his dedicated service and awarded him with a Presidential Certificate of Recognition. To Col. Lloyd, I offered our full support as he begins his mission. For over 26 years, the presence of the U.S. Army in Kosovo has been vital to peace and stability in Kosovo and the region. We remain deeply grateful for their commitment to our shared values and enduring partnership,” Osmani wrote in a post on X.

Kurti: Grateful for enduring friendship and shared values with the U.S. (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in a post on X today, thanked the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to Kosovo, Anu Prattipati, for the reception on Tuesday night celebrating the U.S. Independence Day. “We are grateful for the enduring friendship and the shared values that make our cooperation ever stronger and more meaningful,” Kurti said.

Serbian Language Media

Spy software installed on the Serbian Democracy Vice President's mobile during his detention in Vucitrn (KiM radio, KoSSev) 

Serbian Democracy party announced that on June 28, 2025, “spy software was illegally installed on the mobile phone of party vice president Ivan Orlovic, during his detention at the police station in Vucitrn”, reported KiM radio. 

According to their allegations, the spy software was installed while Orlovic and four other party members were detained without access to a lawyer and without the opportunity to inform their families.

Before the hearing, the police officers ordered Orlovic to turn off his phone and leave it in the cabinet. The software was installed at 10.12pm while the phone was locked and switched off. The hearing lasted until 11:00 p.m., and the police, they said, had unrestricted access to the device during that time.

This party stated that the spyware did not exist on the phone before. After the event, changes were observed in the arrangement of applications on the device. According to experts, the software masquerades as a system application and silently collects data, conversations and messages.

The phone will be sent for additional expertise to organizations dealing with digital security. Serbian democracy calls on international missions in Kosovo to respond and provide protection to party members. They believe that this act is an attack on political freedoms and an attempt at intimidation.

The SD suspects that the software can be used to plant evidence and discredit officials, blaming police officers from Vucitrn for the incident. 

This party added that "they will not give up their political activity despite pressure, threats, beatings".

Lawyer Miljkovic: The prosecution allegation dismantled, terrorism a qualification defined only for Serbs (Kosovo Online)

Milun Milenkovic's defense attorney, lawyer Predrag Miljkovic, pointed out that the defense dismantled the prosecution's allegations in its closing arguments, and that nothing stated in the indictment was proven. As he added, terrorism is clearly a legal qualification defined only for Serbs, reported Kosovo Online. 

"We analyzed the entire evidentiary material and dismantled all the allegations of the prosecution. You saw that it was not true that Milun had any communications, that he uttered some sentences, that he was the leader of some brigades and detachments, that these were false statements. You also saw that it was proven by expert testimony that his phone was empty and that no one could retrieve any correspondence from the empty phone, but they still decided to write that in the indictment and charge him additionally. You also saw that it has not been proven that any of the defendants took action, that any of them threw any explosive device at the MEC office. It was not proven that they were present that day, so I will not go any further," Miljkovic said.

As he pointed out, many protests took place in Kosovo in the decade behind us. Recalling the events in the parliament and the government when tear gas and Molotov cocktails were thrown, Miljkovic emphasized that terrorism was clearly intended only for Serbs.

"In one part of the indictment, it is said that the defendants allegedly destabilized the constitutional and political structures of Kosovo with the attack and that event. I will remind you that this was one of hundreds of protests that took place in Kosovo in the past ten years, in 2015 tear gas was thrown six times in the Assembly of Kosovo. Tear gas is a weapon according to the law. During the protest on January 9, 2016, over 40 police officers were injured, and I do not know how many citizens were arrested. 30 people were injured at the protests in March 2015, of which 44 were policemen. At that time, protesters threw Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs at the assembly, but there were no other crimes, but terrorism is a legal qualification reserved only for certain groups and individuals," Miljkovic said.

He stated that the prosecution does not have single valid evidence that Milun Milenkovic is guilty of what he is accused of.

The presentation of closing arguments in the case against Milun Milenkovic, Dejan Pantic, Aleksandar Vlajic and Miomir Vakic was interrupted today due to the high temperature in the courtroom. The continuation was announced on July 25, while the verdict in that case is expected three days later.

N. Mitrovica residents: Those are the bridges of separation, their sole purpose is provocation (Kosovo Online, Blic)

The announcement of the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River was met with the disapproval of most residents of North Mitrovica, who say that the bridges will not contribute to the connecting of the communities, but to the additional separation. They opined that the new bridges have no purpose and warned that they could be understood as a provocation rather than a gesture of integration, wrote portal Kosovo Online. 

Residents of N. Mitrovica told this portal that these bridges do not have a connecting function.

“We don’t need one or two bridges. And this one is too much for what we have, because these are the bridges that will be built, they are bridges of separation, not of uniting people. Do you understand what I wanted to say? Nothing can bring us together in life. Everything is gone with the wind. Even they, for example, when we were together, they all knew how to speak Serbian, which meant a lot for communication. Now they don’t know and we can’t communicate” an unnamed female resident said.

Her fellow resident shares a similar stance but stated that he believes that nothing significant will change, because, as he said, there is already one bridge that serves only pedestrians.

“And those two other side bridges that will be opened probably won’t be for cars, but also for pedestrians. So, I don’t see that there will be any new changes. Let’s say that I’m not scared, because even now this bridge is open. Nothing will change. We’ll monitor the situation as it will be. It would look ugly if there were two more side bridges next to the main bridge. I don’t see the purpose of those two bridges. Unless it’s some kind of provocation,” he said.

One of the locals of Albanian nationality, with whom Kosovo online spoke, briefly said on this topic that South and North Mitrovica are one city.

Sadiku: We were not informed about the construction of bridges in the north, there was no dialogue between the municipalities (Kosovo Online)

The deputy chairperson of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, Skender Sadiku, said that he and his colleagues were not informed in advance about the construction of bridges in North Mitrovica, reported Kosovo Online, citing Demokracia. 

Sadiku emphasized that they are not against the construction of bridges, but he pointed out that for them, larger bridges are a priority. He also criticized the lack of communication and consultation between municipalities on this topic.

“No, we were not informed, there was no conversation. The issue of bridges should have been resolved between the two municipalities, there was no debate, nor a longer dialogue,” he said.

Sadiku stated that the construction of bridges in the north was not a necessity for the municipalities of North and South Mitrovica and added that there were other priorities. According to him, institutional efforts and energy should have been directed towards issues of greater importance to citizens.

“No, definitely not. All the energy should have been directed towards the universal value. New bridges do not guarantee that the main bridge that has been a symbol of division for years will be opened,” Sadiku said.

Students in Blockade: Banjska fighters on duty in “Ćaciland” under threats of extradition to Kurti (KoSSev) 

The activist group Students in Blockade has claimed that individuals from the Banjska paramilitary group have been stationed in the so-called “Ćaciland” area of Belgrade under the threat of being handed over to Kosovo authorities if they refused, reported KoSSev.

“These people from Banjska are on duty in Ćaciland, dragged in by Vucic and Radoicic. And do you know how? By blackmailing them with threats of being extradited to Kurti if they didn’t show up,” the group wrote in a short statement on its social media. 

According to KoSSev, this comes amid reports that the Pioneer Park area, dubbed “Ćaciland” by Belgraders, has been under the control of government-aligned groups since spring, with participants allegedly linked to Milan Radoicic’s Banjska paramilitary network.

The story gained traction after Serbian opposition politician Djordje Miketic posted a photo on X on Vidovdan, showing three men and questioning whether they were Banjska fighters.

The following day, Pristina-based media released additional screenshots from videos filmed in front of the Serbian Presidency on June 28, during a major student protest, claiming the men were working in the president’s security detail.

According to Kosovo prosecutors, four of these individuals — Milorad Jevtic “Mićko”, Zarko Cvetkovic, Vladimir Vucetic, and Vukasin Jaredic — have been indicted for terrorism and participation in the Banjska clashes. KP previously linked them to the Civil Protection and Northern Brigade structures, designated as terrorist organizations by Kosovo two years ago. 

Albanian-language media reported that some of the suspects had allegedly posed as Red Cross or rescue workers.

RFE later confirmed the identity of Vladimir Vucetic from North Mitrovica, using facial recognition tools, as one of the 45 people named in the Kosovo prosecutor’s indictment. Of those 45, only three are currently on trial, while the rest remain at large under Interpol warrants circulated through UNMIK, though UNMIK has never formally confirmed these.

There has been no comment so far from Serbian officials, nor from the individuals whose photos have been circulating widely online and in the press.

Kurti and other officials have repeatedly demanded the “extradition” of the wanted individuals. On the other hand, several legal experts in Serbia have argued that such a request is unrealistic, primarily due to Serbia’s constitutional and legal framework, which obliges Serbian authorities to conduct any proceedings themselves.

Council of Europe rapporteur concerned over situation in Serbia (N1)

The rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Serbia, Victoria Tiblom expressed deep concern over tensions in Serbia, adding that she is ready to visit the country, reported N1.

“I am deeply concerned about the escalating tensions in Serbia. Following the protests on 15 March, another mass protest took place in Belgrade on Saturday 28 June, with around 140,000 people gathering to call for an early parliamentary election. I regret that the protest ended in clashes between protesters and the police securing a government supporter camp, with the police using batons, shields, tear gas and stun grenades. I note that 77 protesters were arrested, and dozens of people, including police officers, were injured,” she said in a statement.

Tiblom called all parties to defuse the situation, refrain from violence and engage in constructive dialogue. “Any report of disproportionate use of force must be investigated swiftly and effectively, and the law enforcement officers responsible must be held accountable,” she said, adding that she remains ready to travel to Serbia after the summer and discuss all these issues with the authorities as part of the Assembly’s monitoring procedure.

Opinion

Gogic: The Constitutional Court introduced new doubts instead of resolution to the political crisis in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic said that the decision of the Constitutional Court did not bring resolution, but new doubts in the institutional crisis in Kosovo, and that the key problem was that Albin Kurti did not have a majority, and the opposition did not want to form a new government, reported Kosovo Online. 

"The verdict of the Constitutional Court did not seem to contribute to the resolution of this crisis, since the parties took completely different interpretations of what the court actually ruled. In all likelihood, this will continue in the future. What we have had so far, the unsuccessful sessions, will continue because the parties have not reached a consensus on how to get out of this crisis," Gogic told Kosovo Online.

On June 26, the Constitutional Court issued a decision according to which deputies have a maximum of 30 days to complete the constitution of the parliament.

According to Gogic, this was a key doubt - what will happen after that deadline.

"Neither the Constitution, nor the verdict of the Constitutional Court say what happens after the expiry of that period for the Assembly to be formed. It will probably be necessary for the Constitutional Court to announce itself again on the issue, to eventually take the position that it is possible for President Osmani to dissolve the Assembly. It will be necessary for the Constitutional Court to interpret whether, after the expiry of that period, the dissolution of the Assembly can follow since it has not been constituted. This is a legal gap," said Gogic.

At the same time, Gogic warned that not only that the parties failed to reach an agreement on the constitution of parliament, but there was also no agreement on the parliamentary majority.

"Until now, no one has announced, neither the current government, nor the opposition, that they have reached an agreement on a new majority, and if they did, then everything would be resolved," said Gogic.

Gogic considered as completely peripheral issues whether the election of the future president of the parliament will be voted publicly or secretly, or that the candidate of the Self-Determination Movement, was Albulena Haxhiu. 

"These are all peripheral issues, artificial topics that hide the fact that no one wants to form a government and that no one can reach an agreement with anyone among the parties in Kosovo," emphasized Gogic.

He explains that the candidate's name is a "political trick" and that the opposition is aware that Kurti would not change his decision, but also that they would not support any other candidate from the Self-Determination Movement.

Hence, he sees two possible scenarios for getting out of the institutional crisis.

"The question here is what the opposition wants, because according to the Constitution, the party that won the elections nominates a candidate. But that does not mean that the candidate must be from the winning party. Why does not the opposition tell Kurti that they have reached an agreement that they want to form a government and their candidate be nominated. The Constitutional Court said that a party that has a nomination mandate should work on building consensus, on dialogue - to nominate its candidate," said Gogic.

Another scenario, he specifies, is that the opposition "tactically" votes for Hahxiu to constitute the Assembly.

"Then the legal path opens up for them to form a government. This is about the fact that Kurti does not have the majority for the president of the assembly, nor for the election of the government, and that the opposition does not want it. And then it is a deadlock in which no one wants responsibility for the formation of institutions," Gogic was convinced.

International

Weapons, warrants, and whistle protests: the tensions shaping Kosovo’s election season (Euractive)

A weapons raid on a Kosovo Serb politician has triggered accusations of political targeting and renewed tensions ahead of local elections.

A high-profile police raid on properties linked to a rising Kosovo Serb political figure has stirred fresh controversy weeks ahead of local elections, with authorities citing a cache of heavy weapons and the targeted party denouncing the move as politically motivated.

Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Svečla said police discovered rocket launchers and grenades buried in a horse barn during a 22 June search of a weekend cabin used by Serbian Democracy (SD) leader Aleksandar Arsenijević. He was out of the country at the time and denies any link to the weapons, calling the operation a political stunt.

“There is no doubt that this is a setup... the barn is open non-stop; anyone could have planted them,” Arsenijević told NIN. His party says he declined to return to Kosovo, citing safety concerns and the absence of due process. The FBI has been asked to investigate the legality of the search. EULEX, the EU’s rule of law mission, confirmed it is monitoring the case.

The searches targeted three locations – one in northern Mitrovica and two in Zvečan – and took place while Arsenijević and seven SD members were travelling abroad. SD vice president Stefan Veljković said police informed them of the operation as they returned to Kosovo. Arsenijević, who had left the group earlier for a family trip, opted not to cross the border.

Arsenijević’s mother, the only family member still in Kosovo, was reportedly not shown a warrant. The police have not confirmed whether one was issued, and the prosecutor’s office declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the case. Under Kosovo law, warrantless searches are permitted only if there is an imminent threat to public safety.

Interior Minister Svečla has labelled Arsenijević a “criminal” and vowed to arrest him if he re-enters Kosovo. Arsenijević has rejected the allegations, saying the campaign against him reflects a broader strategy to intimidate Serbs who challenge the status quo.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yt8jx962

Balkan Countries ‘Failing to Enforce Freedom of Information Laws’: Report (PI)

Freedom of Information laws in the six Western Balkan countries may look robust, but public institutions all too often find ways to obstruct transparency, a new BIRN report has found.

The freedom of information legal framework is good on paper in the six Western Balkan countries but enforcement and political will are lacking, while journalists continue to face “administrative silence”, bureaucracy, and intimidation, a new report based on BIRN journalists’ work during 2024, launched on Monday, concluded.

The report analysed 1,015 Freedom of Information, FOI requests filed by BIRN journalists in the six Western Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

“Compared to previous reports, some improvement was detected when it came to public institutions’ responses to BIRN journalists’ FOI requests,” the report noted, referring to a quantitative improvement.

The full-response rate rose slightly to 55.86 per cent “while the share of unanswered requests (administrative silence) dropped significantly from 56.7 per cent in 2022 to 23.35 per cent in 2024”.

“However, nearly half of all requests were still met with rejection, partial responses or administrative silence, which remains a widespread tactic to evade accountability (particularly pronounced in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo),” the report concluded.

Over the years, BIRN’s annual reports on the issue have revealed a consistent pattern of journalists’ FOI requests not being legally rejected but avoided by “administrative silence”. This includes not answering requests for information at all, delaying responses, providing non-relevant information and bureaucratic obstruction, which can extend the waiting period or deny a response altogether.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/GGUjo