UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 30, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

UK Embassy recognises positive coordination between KFOR and KSF (media)
Italy commends KFOR’s humanitarian intervention in Ujman (Klan)
Haradinaj: Alliance with NATO led by US is crucial for Kosovo (media)
ERO: Decision on energy market liberalization cannot be postponed (media)
Hoti: Energy market liberalization will have major consequences (media)
AJK, EFJ call on caretaker government: Allocate budget for RTK (media)
COMKFOR Barduani meets Irish Defense Minister (media)
Police arrest person that called VV MP Fitore Pacolli “a thief” (AP)
Criminal complaint filed against four witnesses in “Banjska” case (media)
Ministry: 809 people employed in north through govt employment measure (EO)
Central Bank: Apple Pay now available in Kosovo (media)
Popovic secretly recorded meetings with EU officials in Brussels (Dukagjini)

Serbian Language Media:

Mitrovica North municipality refused to license taxi drivers ‘without clear explanation’ meeting with Atiq planned for today (KoSSev)
Italian Embassy on search operation at Gazivode lake (social media)
Serbian and Chinese special forces conduct joint training exercise (N1)
Protests in support of Novi Pazar students and people held across Serbia (N1)
Vasiljevic: All those who attacked police at Novi Pazar protest will be detained (Tanjug)

International:

Unprotected, women in Albania, Kosovo face ‘toxic coexistence’ with digital abuse (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

UK Embassy recognises positive coordination between KFOR and KSF (media)

The UK Embassy in Kosovo said in a Facebook post that it “recognises the positive coordination between the NATO-led KFOR mission and the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) following authorisation by the Commander of KFOR for the KSF to deploy Search and Rescue teams for the specific purpose of assisting in the tragic case of a missing person in Lake Ujman/Gazivoda. The operation is testament to the excellence of KSF’s Search and Rescue capabilities and consistent with the longstanding arrangements between KFOR and the KSF. We commend KFOR for providing support and security throughout this operation and offer condolences to the family of the man who sadly lost his life. The UK fully supports KFOR’s mission to contribute to a safe and secure environment for all people and communities in Kosovo. Close cooperation between KFOR, KSF and other security responders including Kosovo Police and EULEX are vital to the success of KFOR’s mission”.

Italy commends KFOR’s humanitarian intervention in Ujman (Klan)

The Embassy of Italy has also responded regarding the search-and-rescue operation carried out on Tuesday at Ujman Lake. The Italian Embassy expressed its full support for the KFOR Mission and its commander. In a public statement on Facebook, the Embassy emphasized that the KFOR commander acted within the boundaries of his mandate, considering the circumstances that required urgent intervention for humanitarian reasons.

“The Italian Embassy in Kosovo expresses its full support for the KFOR Mission and for the KFOR Commander, who acted within the limits of his mandate, in light of the unfortunate circumstances that made the intervention of the team necessary for humanitarian reasons. Therefore, the Embassy reiterates its full appreciation for the long-standing positive role played by the KFOR mission in Kosovo,” the Embassy wrote in the Facebook post.

Haradinaj: Alliance with NATO led by US is crucial for Kosovo (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said in a Facebook post today that the alliance with NATO led by the United States is crucial for Kosovo and that “decisions taken with our allies are inevitably in favor of our sovereign state and its future”. He argued that “the stakeholders of Kosovo’s statehood cannot be sidestepped and we are forever grateful to NATO and their troops in KFOR for their continuous engagement in increasing the quality and military capacities of the Kosovo Security Force”.

Haradinaj also expressed his condolences to the family of the 33-year-old who drowned after jumping in Ujman lake in the north of Kosovo.

ERO: Decision on energy market liberalization cannot be postponed (media)

The Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) told Koha news website today that the liberalization of the energy market cannot be postponed. “The decision of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) to move to the free market of consumers that do not meet the conditions for a universal service is fully in line with Law Nr. 05/L-085 on Energy as well as with the regulations in force. This decision is aimed at implementing the legal obligations for market liberalization and creating a competitive, transparent and non-discriminatory environment. The ERO is carefully monitoring the enforcement of this decision and developments on the market. The decision cannot be postponed, because its enforcement is a legal obligation that cannot be postponed on the basis of requests by parties of interest,” the ERO said.

In a statement to Telegrafi news website, ERO said that “it had announced on many occasions that on July 31, all businesses in Kosovo with over 50 workers or an annual turnover of over €10 million, and which have not reached contracts with a licensed energy supplier, will be left without energy. The ERO cannot postpone the decision [to the move to the free energy market] because it is a legal obligation”.

Hoti: Energy market liberalization will have major consequences (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Avdullah Hoti said today that the decision of the Energy Regulatory Office for businesses to move to the free energy market, which enters into force tomorrow, has created major uncertainties about energy supply. He argued in a Facebook post that there should have been more consultations and preparations in the process and that the decision should have been agreed with the business community. “The consequences [of the decision] will be major: the withdrawal of existing local and international investors, the non-arrival of new investors, lack of local investments, increased costs for local businesses, lost of competitive abilities for local products in the domestic and foreign markets, increased living costs for the people and an increased unemployment rate,” he said.

AJK, EFJ call on caretaker government: Allocate budget for RTK (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) express concern that no visible action has been taken regarding the need to prevent the financial collapse of the public broadcaster, RTK. “As we approach the end of July and the deadline for allocating the second part of the budget is looming, AJK and EFJ make an urgent call to the caretaker Government of Kosovo to immediately take measures to allocate the budget due to RTK. Failure to do so puts at risk the basic functioning of the Public Broadcaster, RTK, including providing news and information to the public. AJK and EFJ reiterate the importance of the unhindered work of journalists, camera operators, and all RTK employees in the public interest,” the statement notes.

COMKFOR Barduani meets Irish Defense Minister (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that COMKFOR Major General Enrico Barduani, hosted an official visit by the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence of the Republic of Ireland Thomas Byrne. “The visit provided a meaningful occasion to exchange perspectives on the current security situation in Kosovo and the wider region. Major General Barduani shared his views and outlined KFOR’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all communities in Kosovo. Major General Barduani acknowledged the professionalism of the Irish personnel deployed in KFOR and expressed his deep appreciation for Ireland’s longstanding contribution to the mission since 1999 and its continued commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Western Balkans,” the post notes.

Police arrest person that called VV MP Fitore Pacolli “a thief” (AP)

A person has been arrested and sent to 48-hour detention after he called Vetevendosje MP Fitore Pacolli “a thief” to her face in front of the Kosovo Assembly premises. Pacolli later filed a complaint to the police about harassment. The information was confirmed by a spokesperson of Kosovo Police for Pristina region. He said that after the case was reported, police identified and arrested the suspect. “Following a recommendation by the state prosecutor, an investigation was launched for the criminal offence ‘harassment’ and the suspect was sent to 48-hour detention,” the spokesperson said.

The news website notes earlier reports according to which relatives of Pacolli had won grants from the Ministry of Agriculture, and lately that Pacolli’s husband got €52,000 from the Ministry of Culture.

Criminal complaint filed against four witnesses in “Banjska” case (media)

Attorney Naim Rudari, representative of the injured police officer in the “Banjska’ case, Alban Rushiti, has announced that he has filed a complaint against four witnesses in the case on suspicion of committing several criminal offenses, including giving false testimony.

“They not only helped the terrorist group take shelter in the Ranjska Banja hotel in the village Banjska but also promised to register the armed individuals (terrorists) as hotel employees to disguise them and prevent their arrest. They allowed the wounded to receive medical aid at the hotel, then changed their uniforms to civilian clothes to help them escape from Banjska. These so-called ‘witnesses’ then gave false testimony in court, defending the criminals and contradicting their earlier statements,” Rudari wrote.

The lawyer called on the Prosecutor's Office to investigate the matter, adding that such an investigation would also provide significant evidence regarding those who aided the terrorist group in Banjska.

Ministry: 809 people employed in north through govt employment measure (EO)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Finance said in a Facebook post today that 809 people in the northern municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Mitrovica and Zvecan have been employed through the government’s employment measure “the government for families”. The ministry also said that thanks to the interest shown by businesses there are currently over 1,000 jobs that jobseekers can apply for through employment offices.

Central Bank: Apple Pay now available in Kosovo (media)

The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said in a statement on Tuesday that the globally recognized Apple Pay payment service is now officially available in Kosovo. “Thanks to this development, banks and financial institutions in the country can now link their cards to the Apple Pay platform, enabling citizens and businesses in Kosovo to make fast, secure, and contactless payments using their Apple devices (iPhone, Apple Watch, or others). The full implementation of this service across all financial institutions will take the necessary time, depending on their individual agreements and required technical integrations. This marks another important step toward modernizing the payments system, enhancing financial inclusion, and accelerating digitalization in Kosovo. Following the integration of Google Pay, Apple Pay represents an essential addition to our approach toward internationalizing financial services and aligning with European standards for digital payments. As part of its ongoing commitments — and following the high-level meeting held in May 2025 with representatives from Apple — CBK reaffirmed its dedication to creating a favorable environment for adopting cutting-edge financial services in Kosovo, in line with the objectives of the CBK Strategic Plan 2024 – 2028. This achievement is the result of close collaboration between the CBK, the banking sector, and international partners — particularly the Embassy of the United States of America,” the CBK statement notes.

Popovic secretly recorded meetings with EU officials in Brussels (Dukagjini)

The TV station reported on Tuesday that the deputy head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, Igor Popovic, secretly recorded official meetings in Brussels in 2020. The TV station published parts of the secret audio recordings where a female is heard giving a presentation speaking about “the properties of Serbia in Kosovo”.

The moderator of the program on TV Dukagjini said that according to their information Popovic had ongoing communication with Bojan Dimic, one of the leaders of the Serbian Intelligence Agency, and that the TV station will publish more details on the topic on Wednesday.

Popovic was recently arrested by Kosovo authorities at the Jarinje crossing on charges of inciting hatred and intolerance during his stay in Hoca e Madhe in the municipality of Rahovec where he referred to the former Kosovo Liberation Army as a terrorist organization.

Serbian Language Media

Mitrovica North municipality refused to license taxi drivers ‘without clear explanation’ meeting with Atiq planned for today (KoSSev)

Taxi drivers from Mitrovica North who previously applied for licenses and received decisions dismissing their requests – without any explanation why – have attended yesterday’s session of Mitrovica North municipal assembly. They came to the session to seek responses for the issue affecting them and their families, KoSSev portal reported.

Their attempt to file new requests demanding written explanation on the reasons to reject issuing them licences – municipal authorities also dismissed, they said. The taxi drivers added they no longer know whom to address so their issue is resolved.

Taxi drivers: What exactly did we not fulfill?

On behalf of several dozens of taxi drivers, a representative of their association presented a chronology of their actions. As he said at the end of June they received notification from municipal inspectors about a licensing vacancy that initially lasted five working days only – from July 1 to July 7. The deadline had been extended, however conditions they had to fulfill were told only verbally by municipal inspectors – that vehicles must be of the same color, drivers to have five years experience, vehicles not be older than 5 years, and that drivers have permanent addresses in the municipality.

“We have never received a clear response and in writing as to what we need for licensing”, he said.

Despite everything they managed to collect documentation and submit applications. Soon, however, they received decisions saying their requests “cannot be processed as they do not fulfill criteria”, without clear explanation what criteria were in question.

Taxi drivers during the session yesterday expressed concerns over their financial situation and impact it has on them adding that “around 100 families live from these jobs. Should we be left without bread?” one of them asked.

It was also said that regulation on licensing taxi drivers does not require all what the municipality has been asking them to fulfill, in particular that it says nothing about how old the vehicle should be or for other technical details.

Municipal Assembly chair Nedzad Ugljanin said the municipal directorate did not respect regulation on licensing that the municipal assembly adopted. His deputy Skender Sadiku condemned the behaviour of municipal administration and said basic rights of the taxi drivers, the right to appeal, has been violated. He also said he would feel ashamed to meet with them, and to know that their rights had been violated.

As Mitrovica North mayor Erden Atiq said he was not familiar with the issue in detail, and given that his colleagues from municipality ended their work yesterday he proposed the meeting with taxi drivers to be held today at 15.00 so he “will provide answers to all questions he heard from them”.

Italian Embassy on search operation at Gazivode lake (social media)

“With reference to the narrative concerning yesterday’s search & rescue operations at Ujman/Gazivoda Lake, the Embassy of Italy in Kosovo expresses its full support for KFOR Mission and for KFOR Commander, who operated within the limits of his mandate, in light of the unfortunate circumstance that necessitated the intervention of the team for humanitarian reasons”, Italian Embassy said in a post on Facebook account.

“The Embassy therefore reiterates its full appreciation of the longstanding positive role played by the KFOR mission in Kosovo”, the post added.

Serbian and Chinese special forces conduct joint training exercise (N1)

Members of the Serbian Armed Forces’ 72nd Special Operations Brigade and one of the special brigades of the People’s Liberation Army of China conducted joint training in Hebei Province, northern China, from 19 to 28 July, said the Serbian Ministry of Defense in a press release, N1 reported.

During the ten-day training, the mixed combat teams carried out tactical tasks in urban and rural environments with the support of unmanned vehicles. The focus was on drone tactics for special operations, with activities including firearms, tactical, and alpine training. The joint training was an opportunity for members of the two militaries to exchange experience, share knowledge and improve their skills in applying the tactics, techniques and procedures, it said.

“The Chinese unit showed an exceptional level of organization and professionalism and was an excellent host for members of the Serbian Armed Forces”, said the press release. The Defense Ministry noted that this was the first joint training between the two countries’ armed forces.

“Its successful implementation gave an impetus to strengthening the military-to-military cooperation and improved mutual understanding and ability of the combat teams to carry out the tasks with foreign armed forces in an international environment”, the Ministry said.

Protests in support of Novi Pazar students and people held across Serbia (N1)

On Tuesday evening, protests took place in Kraljevo, Nis, Novi Sad, Belgrade, and other cities across Serbia to show solidarity with the students and citizens of Novi Pazar, N1 reported.

The demonstrations followed an incident on Monday night when, as N1 further said, masked men in hoodies stormed the Public University of Novi Pazar (DUNP) during a student-led blockade. As police stood by, they removed the students from the building. On Tuesday, protesters gathered outside the university, and after clashes between citizens and police stationed at the DUNP entrance, students re-entered the building.

Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic said the police did not exceed their authority at any point in front of the Public University in Novi Pazar on Tuesday. Novi Pazar police chief Nermin Ljalic reported that six officers were injured during the clashes with citizens outside the university.