UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 24, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Opposition extending our mandate; I assure you there is no agreement (EO)
Poll: 48.4 percent of people satisfied with work of Kurti government (Telegrafi)
ERO says it has not suspended decision on energy market liberalization (RFE)
ERO decision on a business moving to free energy market suspended (media)
NATO: Serbia to hold Banjska group, attackers of KFOR accountable (Express)
Kosovo: Selection of deportees from US in line with security criteria (RFE)
Krasniqi meets Norwegian special envoy for Western Balkans (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Pantovic: The verdict against Ivan Mrkic the continuation of legal violence against Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
The SL and Office for KiM: The sentence against Ivan Mrkic is ethnically motivated (KiM radio, Kosovo Online, Tanjug, Danas)
The law does not prevent early elections, but there is no political will: Kosovo in an institutional vacuum (Danas)
"Arsenijevic seems to be target of both Belgrade and Pristina" (Danas)
Serbian Defense Ministry says arms and military equipment exports suspended (N1, media)

Opinion:

The Kosovo-Serbia dispute amid global turmoil: a defining test for the EU (NEE)

International:

New exhibition by Kosovo art students draws inspiration from real life (PI)
North Macedonia, Kosovo planning 400 kV power interconnection (BGEN)
Kosovo’s trade gap expands 21.5% y/y in May (SeeNews)
Bears at gates: When the wild gets too close in Montenegro and Kosovo (BIRN)
“We Couldn’t Avoid Him”: Why Serbian journalists have spent 10 Years investigating one man (occrp.org)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Opposition extending our mandate; I assure you there is no agreement (EO)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that he is entering the second quarter of the fifth year of mandate. “Every democratic opposition tries to shorten the government’s mandate. An exception is the opposition in Kosovo – which as you know – is extending the mandate of the government. Someone might even think that we have an agreement. We as a caretaker government don’t have any agreement with the current opposition to stay longer in power. I can assure you that this is not true,” he said.

“I have no explanation for the situation that Kosovo’s institutions are going through. According to article 31 of the Law on Government, we have fewer competencies as a caretaker government, but our work has not changed – we have as much work as we used to. The sooner the Assembly is constituted, by electing its presidency with a secret vote, the sooner the new government will be formed … Meanwhile, until a new government is formed, we remain the caretaker government. This is the reality and I have nothing to add,” Kurti said.

Poll: 48.4 percent of people satisfied with work of Kurti government (Telegrafi)

Debat Plus show on TV Dukagjini published data from a poll conducted recently by UBO Consulting, where people were asked among other questions how satisfied they are with the work of the Kurti-led government so far. 14.8 percent of respondents said they were “very satisfied”, 33.6 percent said they were “satisfied”, 26.1 percent said they were “not satisfied”, 20.9 percent said they were “very unsatisfied” and 4.6 percent said they “don’t know”.

ERO says it has not suspended decision on energy market liberalization (RFE)

The Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) told the news website today that it has not suspended the decision for the liberalization of the energy market in Kosovo. The statement comes several hours after a notification by the Commercial Court of Kosovo which said that it has suspended the execution of a notification by the ERO to stop a company from getting energy supplies through the universal service. The Chamber of Commerce reacted to the court’s decision saying that it suspends the ERO’s notification for the mandatory moving of businesses to the free energy market. It called on the ERO to suspend the notification and to stop “any action that may negatively affect the functioning of businesses”.

But the ERO explained to the news website that this concerns an individual case and a single company and not all businesses. Currently the universal service provider in Kosovo is KESCO.

ERO decision on a business moving to free energy market suspended (media)

Kosovo’s Chamber of Commerce said today that the Commercial Court in Pristina has decided to suspend the announcement of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) for the mandatory moving of a business to the free energy market. The Chamber of Commerce called on the ERO to suspend the announcement and to stop any action that can negatively impact the functioning of businesses. “The Chamber of Commerce calls on the ERO for close cooperation to draft together a fair and implementable transition phase, highlighting that the Chamber of Commerce is not against moving to the free market, but has continuously asked for this process to be carried out with a clear transition plan that ensures stability for Kosovo’s businesses and citizens,” the statement notes.

NATO: Serbia to hold Banjska group, attackers of KFOR accountable (Express)

A NATO official told reporters on Monday that NATO calls on Serbia to hold accountable all those responsible for the acts of violence in Kosovo 2023. He mentioned the attack against KFOR troops in Kosovo in May 2023 in front of the building of the municipality of Zvecan and the attack in the village of Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September 2023.

On the eve of the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, the NATO official said that the Western Balkans remains a region of strategic importance for NATO and high on the agenda of the alliance. “Decades of hard-won peace must not be jeopardized. Stability in the region depends on the willingness of parties to choose dialogue and cooperation instead of violence. NATO gives important military contributions, but the road toward long-term peace is political,” he said.

The NATO official also reconfirmed support for the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade as a platform for resolving outstanding issues, with respect for the rights of all communities. “We are in close contact with the new EU special representative for the dialogue, Peter Sorensen, and we expect both parties to engage in good will,” he said.

Kosovo: Selection of deportees from US in line with security criteria (RFE)

Kosovo’s caretaker government said today that the selection of 50 persons, which will be sheltered in Kosovo after they are deported from the United States, will be done in cooperation with US authorities and in line with national security and public order. This engagement comes as part of a decision by the caretaker government on June 11 to provide provisional shelter for third country nationals that are deported from US soil.

The caretaker government told the news website through a statement that the cases of deportees to Kosovo will be reviewed separately by the Ministry of Interior Affairs and that temporary shelter will last up to one year.

Krasniqi meets Norwegian special envoy for Western Balkans (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi met today with the Norwegian special envoy for the Western Balkans, Eirik Nestas Mathisen, and discussed the latest political developments in Kosovo and the region. Krasniqi expressed the PDK’s positions on key political issues, highlighting the institutional deadlock and the need to reach a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia centered around mutual recognition. “A stable and peaceful region is key for sustainable progress and for accomplishing our shared aspirations for full integration in the European Union,” Krasniqi said.

Serbian Language Media

Pantovic: The verdict against Ivan Mrkic the continuation of legal violence against Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

The basic court in Mitrovica announced yesterday that Ivan Mrkic was sentenced to one year and five months in prison for causing minor bodily injuries. His lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic told Kosovo Online that the verdict is a continuation of legal violence against Serbs in the north of Kosovo.

Mrkic was sentenced for the incident that took place on November 17, 2022, when a cameraman of the Insajderi portal was injured in North Mitrovica. Pantovic said that he perceives the sentence as “a continuation of disciplining the population in the north of Kosovo”.

“It is a draconian sentence that goes significantly beyond the scope of the criminal policy of the courts in this area. Significantly, I can say five times significantly. This verdict is a continuation, I would say, of legal violence against the local population and this verdict is in the function of disciplining us in the north of Kosovo by the Kosovo judiciary. I can tell you most honestly that I have been in a lawyer in criminal matters for 33 years, of which 30 years in the bar, but I do not remember a case where a defendant was sentenced to prison in this duration, 17 months, for a minor physical injury, where the injured party suffered a contusion of soft tissues, which I would say in simple words, a bruise. So, no consequences for his health,” Pantovic said.

He pointed out that suspended sentences or prison sentences, which are replaced by fines, are most often imposed.

“In this case, there were all the mitigating circumstances and all the legal requirements, which I pointed out to the court, to give Ivan Mrkic the lightest possible sentence. And that for several reasons. First, he admitted to committing the crime, which is a particularly mitigating circumstance. Then, he has never been sentenced before. No other criminal proceedings are being conducted against him. He expressed regret and remorse for what he did and there was not, I responsibly assert, a single legal requirement for this kind of punishment. Something else I’m sure of is that if this crime had been tried in another case, between members of the same nationality, the punishment would have been much milder. This way, I see this as a continuation of the discipline of the population in the north of Kosovo,” Pantovic said.

He added that this kind of situation and frequent arrests affect the life of Serbs in the north and that everyone feels fear.

“Let me tell you, every person looks at himself through someone who has been arrested or convicted in some way and imagines himself/herself in that situation, and it is quite normal and natural that many people have a certain fear, fear that the same thing will happen to them tomorrow for no reason. We had a situation where a police officer on the promenade savagely, thuggishly grabs a boy by the neck. Instead of arresting him if he had done something wrong or talking to him, he was holding him, squeezing him by the neck, relentlessly. So, people see themselves also through those situations and they are afraid, and of course there are cases where people think, say - well, it’s really not easy to live here, I should look for a safer and more secure place for my life and the life of my family,” Pantovic concluded.

The SL and Office for KiM: The sentence against Ivan Mrkic is ethnically motivated (KiM radio, Kosovo Online, Tanjug, Danas)

The Serbian List and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija strongly reacted to the verdict by which Ivan Mrkic from the north of Kosovo was sentenced to one year and five months in prison for minor bodily injury. They assess that it is a "draconian, ethnically motivated punishment that represents the continuation of the institutional persecution of the Serbian people in Kosovo", reported KiM radio.

In the announcement of the Serbian List, it is stated that the KP and the judiciary are carrying out "an open and brutal form of institutional violence" against the Serbs, through unfounded arrests, harassment and accelerated court proceedings, which serve, as they point out, exclusively as a means of intimidation.

"The most recent case of sentencing Ivan Mrkic to one year and five months in prison for minor bodily injury - despite numerous extenuating circumstances and the fact that the injured party had no lasting consequences - is a clear example of legal violence directed exclusively at the Serbian population. Sentences imposed in this way represent excessive punishment, unprecedented in practice, and serve exclusively as a form of disciplining and intimidating Serbs in the north of Kosovo," the SL added.

At the same time, the statement highlights the inaction of the judiciary in cases where Serbs are victims of violence, such as the wounding of boys in Gotovusa and the incidents in Bistrica, for which no one has been held accountable to date.

"Citizens live in fear more and more often - every arrested person makes them feel that they could be next, and that for no reason at all. Reports and testimonies show that police officers use physical force against minors, without any basis, which further feeds the feeling of insecurity and anxiety among the Serbian people," the press release stated, adding that this kind of action by the police is not in the service of citizens, but in the service of fear.

"The judiciary is not independent, but in the function of persecution. This is not the rule of law - but institutionalized violence."

"Judgments are made exclusively on the basis of ethnicity"

The Office for KiM assesses that the verdict against Mrkic is another example of persecution and retaliation against members of the Serbian people.

"While Albanian policemen unpunished are strangling a Serbian high school graduate in Kosovska Mitrovica, brutally beating Serbian children Dara and Kristijan from Zvecan, shooting Stefan and Milos from Gotovusa on Christmas Day, a disproportionately large sentence is imposed on an honest Serb of an effective prison sentence only because he physically defended himself from an attack," the Office stated.

It is added that it has been known for a long time that in Kosovo there are neither rights nor justice for the Serbs, nor the rule of law, but judgments are made exclusively on the basis of ethnicity, and such a case is unprecedented in the history of the judiciary.

The Serbian List and the Office for KiM call on the international community to react urgently and ensure respect for basic human rights, a fair and independent judiciary, as well as an end to the selective application of laws against Serbs in Kosovo.

The law does not prevent early elections, but there is no political will: Kosovo in an institutional vacuum (Danas)

Local elections in Kosovo are scheduled for October 12, and the ruling party is proposing to hold extraordinary parliamentary elections on the same day. However, to call parliamentary elections, it is necessary to constitute the Assembly, which is a problem that these elections should solve.

Ever since the first unsuccessful attempts to constitute the Assembly, one of the possibilities that Kosovo MPs have been talking about is the holding of new parliamentary elections. Last time, this option was mentioned by the candidate of Self-Determination for the President of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, who proposed it at the meeting with Osmani because "there is no political agreement for the formation of institutions".

On the other hand, the deputy president of the Democratic Union of Kosovo, Lutfi Haziri, said that without political consensus, there can be no electoral process except for local elections.

However, to call parliamentary elections, it is certainly necessary to constitute the Assembly, after which it should be dissolved by political agreement, and then elections should be called.

Hoxha: All parties will try to avoid double elections

The editor of Pristina TV ATV Leart Hoxha told Danas that there are no deadlines stipulated by the law, because the current situation was not stipulated by the law and the constitution.

"So the party that is first in the elections has the right to nominate a candidate for the president, that is, the president of the assembly, but nowhere is it written what happens if that party does not have enough votes, that is, if that candidate does not have enough votes," explains Hoxha and reminds that this is also the cause of the blockade that has lasted for several months.

However, since the budget for this year has been adopted and since the local elections have no direct connection with the parliamentary elections, Hoxha believes that it is more likely not to go to the elections at both levels at the same time.

"So, I think that all parties will do everything possible to avoid double elections, since that does not suit anyone, because there would be talk of a double campaign," said Hoxha and pointed out that in that case the problems of the municipalities would be in the background, and that other politicians would still be in the race with Albin Kurti.

He believes that this does not suit anyone in the opposition, and doubts that there will be a consensus for holding the elections at the same time.

"So we will go to the parliamentary elections, and what can happen, although it may be too early for this kind of analysis, is that after the local elections some new result is created, that is, for some of the municipalities that are larger and more important, we have local coalitions and then those local coalitions would open the way to the state coalition," said Hoxha.

Then, he added, only in November, after the local elections, the way would be opened for a coalition for the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo.

"Again, it's too early, but for now it's impossible to rule out that option," concluded Hoxha.

Marinkovic: The law does not prohibit it, but a political agreement is needed

The executive director of the Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA), Miodrag Marinkovic, emphasizes for Danas that Kosovo's electoral and procedural laws related to the constitution of the government and the assembly have a "serious structural flaw".

"They were written for a society with a strong and deep-rooted democratic tradition, and Kosovo, simply is not that. Legal solutions do not regulate all possible political situations, and some of them presuppose action in the spirit of democratic responsibility," explained Marinkovic.

He claims that it has worked to a certain extent for years, relying on a certain ethical responsibility of political subjects.

"However, with the emergence of the Self-Determination movement, whose actions are characterized by legal manipulation and populism, this legal imprecision has turned into a source of absurdity," said Marinkovic, highlighting the example of 36 unsuccessful constitutive sessions of the Assembly.

Marinkovic claims that a similar situation exists when it comes to the election of the president, who in the Kosovo system is elected indirectly, mostly in the parliament.

"Therefore, it can rightly be said that the government of Albin Kurti exposed all the weaknesses of Kosovo's legal framework and caused a serious and long-term institutional crisis," said the interlocutor of Danas.

Marinkovic also reads this as the possibility of calling parliamentary elections at the same time as local elections.

"The law does not prohibit such a possibility, but its realization requires a political agreement, for which there is currently no political will. Even if an agreement is reached, such a government would have a limited mandate, because in April of next year the mandate of the President of Kosovo will expire, and in the conditions of such political division, this would probably be another reason for extraordinary parliamentary elections," explained Marinkovic.

He claims that the opposition parties are also aware of this, which is why they are not in a hurry to topple the current Kurti government.

"The current situation is such that few can say with certainty how this legal impasse will be resolved," says Marinkovic.

Our interlocutor adds that Self-Determination, despite its statements, knows that extraordinary parliamentary elections could cost them additional mandates, because the citizens of Kosovo, he claimed, largely blamed Kurti for the current crisis.

"That is one of the reasons why the process of constituting the parliament is persistently blocked, because in this way Kurti ensures the continuity of the government in the technical mandate," said Marinkovic and added that it was difficult to say with certainty what the ultimate goal of that tactic was.

"Arsenijevic seems to be target of both Belgrade and Pristina" (Danas)

Kosovo's Minister of Police in technical mandate, Xhelal Svecla, announced that the President of the Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijevic, on whose property weapon was found that Pristina claimed was his, will be arrested as soon as he sets foot on the territory of Kosovo, reported Danas.

Danas wrote that a reaction arrived from Belgrade, but not from the institutions, but from the regime portal "Alo", which wrote that "Kurti wants to raise the rating of his man Aleksandar Arsenijevic before the local elections by planting a case with weapons".

"This is a way to make it impossible for us to act politically and to win council mandates, especially in the municipalities where we had a lot of support in the parliamentary elections this year in February. That is the main message, I expect the most from ambassadors and the international community in Kosovo to react publicly and decisively, and to stop just writing some atrophic announcements that mean nothing, but to engage concretely and put pressure on the government in the technical mandate, which systematically threatens the rights of Serbs and is trying to decapitate the people by imprisoning prominent Serbs, such as our president Aleksandar Arsenijevic, and removing and eliminating them from the political scene in a rigged political process," he said.

"This reminds me a bit of the case of Mr. Oliver Ivanovic, who was so dragged through the institutions, mostly thanks to the Kosovo Prosecutor's Office and EULEX, which did not do its job properly".

According to Veljkovic, "this in many ways reminds of it with one key difference, and that is that by wanting to expel Arsenijevic, they will not distract us from our struggle. And I think that unfortunately it was different with Oliver Ivanovic because many of his colleagues left him, went to Serobyan List, and betrayed him, and we will stay with our president until the end," he says.

Commenting on the text in "Alo", Veljkovic states that the fact that speaks in favor of the thesis that neither Arsenijevic, nor anyone from the Serbian democracy, is "Kurti's Serb", is that "they are the only ones protesting against the discriminatory anti-Serb policy and the Kosovo government".

"We are the ones who are on the ground with the citizens. And when Kurti tries to demolish Serbian houses in Lesak, and when he tries to seize Serbian apartments in North Mitrovica, and when he tries to seize land from Serbian hosts in any municipality in Kosovo, we are there with the citizens, and Serbian List, Nenad Rasic and the crew around them, Kurti's favorites, they are in mouse holes," he says.

Asked if they expect any help from Belgrade, he says that he expects the leaders of the authorities in Belgrade to make a public statement regarding this case and that they also engage diplomatically with international organizations, institutions, and embassies in order to stop, as he says, this obvious torture that aims to distract us from political involvement and to defend the people, but we will not give up on that.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic told Danas that, without going into the details of the case, in principle, one can point to a reason for mistrust regarding the legality and professionalism of the actions of the Kosovo police.

"There are numerous examples that indicate possible abuse of authority, especially when it comes to custody cases. For example, after the explosion on the Ibar-Lepenac canal in November 2024, two men from Zubin Potok (Vicentijevic brothers) were detained. Although no more is said about that case, nor has any new evidence appeared, the two are still in custody," he says.

Regarding Arsenijevic's case, Gogic notes that the question can be raised as to whether the process would even reach a trial, or whether it would turn into a long-term detention case. He says that the recent decision of Interior Minister Svecla to suddenly revoke the citizenship of five Serbs, deport them and forbid them to return to Kosovo, without any administrative or judicial procedure, also causes particular concern.

"Such moves point to arbitrariness in action that seriously undermines legal security in Kosovo. In this sense, Arsenijevic has reason to doubt that the police will act impartially in his case, especially after the minister labeled him a 'catch'. For example, the question is already being raised whether the search was conducted based on a valid warrant," he points out.

Commenting on the text published on the Alo portal, Gogic notes that it deviates from the "usual narrative that 'Kurti is persecuting the Serbs’ but insinuates that the whole case with weapons was actually staged by Kurti to raise Arsenijevic's rating before the elections".

"Arsenijevic is portrayed as 'Kurti's man', not as a potential victim of political persecution. If the text is an indication of the Belgrade authorities' attitude towards Arsenijevic, then he will not be able to count on the legal assistance that the Office for KiM usually provides to Serbs who find themselves in a similar situation. It seems that Arsenijevic is both Belgrade and Pristina’s target," believes Gogic.

Lawyer and activist from North Mitrovica, Marko Jaksic, says that everything related to Arsenijevic since Sunday is strange to say the least, especially the reactions of Minister Svecla, but also the writing of some tabloids from Belgrade, so everything reminds, he thinks, of what Arsenijevic himself said, and then his party, that it is a set-up that excludes Arsenijevic personally from political life for a very serious time, in one way or another. "So that he will live outside of Kosovo or be imprisoned if he returns," he says.

Serbian Defense Ministry says arms and military equipment exports suspended (N1, media)

The Serbian Defense Ministry said it is suspending all exports of weapons and military equipment manufactured in Serbia, following directives from President Aleksandar Vucic, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) and Chairman of the Council for National Security, reported N1.

The ministry further said that future exports of weapons and military equipment from Serbia’s defense industry will require approval from the Council for National Security, in addition to clearances from other relevant ministries and agencies, as stipulated in Article 16, paragraph 4 of the Law on the Export and Import of Weapons and Military Equipment.

Opinion

The Kosovo-Serbia dispute amid global turmoil: a defining test for the EU (NEE)

Opinion piece by Masa Ocvirk and Visar Xhambazi.

Ongoing disagreement between Kosovo and Serbia remains a key geopolitical issue for the EU. Much like in Ukraine, the ability of Brussels to produce tangible results will decide whether or not it can operate effectively in its neighbourhood well into the future.

With the war in Ukraine entering its fourth year and tensions emerging in the transatlantic relationship, the EU finds itself at a pivotal moment in its history. The new European Commission is confronted with a myriad of challenges that will shape the future of Europe, ranging from economic instability and energy security to internal divisions and geopolitical tensions.

Among these challenges is also the long-standing Kosovo-Serbia dispute. While it may appear less pressing in the grand scheme of things, how the EU handles this issue will not only shape the stability of the Western Balkans but also determine the EU’s credibility as a geopolitical actor. For example, is it capable of enforcing its foreign policy priorities and maintaining security in its immediate neighbourhood?

The EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue was launched in 2011 with the purpose of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Since then, there have been periods of both rapprochement and heightened tension, with the Brussels Agreement in 2013 and the Ohrid Agreement in 2023 hailed as major steps towards the normalization of relations. However, both sides have largely failed to implement the necessary agreed measures, leaving the Dialogue without a final resolution. As a result, tensions have persisted between both sides.

The EU recently appointed its new Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sørensen, succeeding Miroslav Lajčák. His task will be twofold: to move the Dialogue process forward and rebuild the EU’s role as a credible mediator. However, the current situation is complicated due to an apparent political deadlock between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as growing transatlantic discord. Despite these challenges, the EU must take decisive action to keep the negotiations on track. This must be done in order to reaffirm its role as the key geopolitical actor in its neighbourhood.