UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 27, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

O’Brien: Non-implementation of past agreements, lost opportunity (media)
Kurti says LDK, AAK want to criticise and not remove him from power (Express)
Opposition MPs leave assembly session (media)
AJK: Independent Media Commission draft law shouldn’t be adopted (Kallxo)
AJK reacts to Basha’s “unacceptable, dangerous attacks” against Kusari (media)
Former Serb member of Kosovo Police arrested for espionage (media)
Svecla: Fighting every form of terrorism is our priority (media)
Hoxha visits police units in Jarinje, Leposavic, Bernjak and Banjska (media)

Serbian Language Media:

O'Brien: Failure to implement earlier agreements a lost opportunity for both sides (Kosovo Online)
Brnabic: By rejecting the trilateral in Brussels, Kurti showed that he does not want dialogue (Tanjug, TV Pink)
Arrested A.V. suspected of espionage (RTS, Radio Mitrovica sever, KoSSev)
The president of the Committee for Aid to Serbs from Republika Srpska denied entry to Kosovo (Tanjug, SRNA)
The Spanish Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the initiative to recognize Kosovo (Tanjug)
The German and Italian embassies supported the EU statement on three draft laws (KoSSev)
The SL MPs once again retained their mandates (NMagazin, Beta)
Andric Rakic: No progress in dialogue or formation of the CSM realistic during Lajcak's extended mandate (Kosovo Online)
“Miredita, dobar dan!” festival to kick off in Belgrade (N1, Beta)

Opinion:

Hungary’s EU ‘enlargement presidency’ will achieve limited success for Western Balkans (Balkan Insight)

International:

Kosovo: Draft law on Independent Media Commission might endanger its political independence (ecpmf.eu)
Serbia’s Vucic fumes as footballers travel to Euro 2024 on Croatian plane (Politico)

Albanian Language Media

O’Brien: Non-implementation of past agreements, lost opportunity (media)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jim O'Brien said in a post on X that EU High Representative Josep Borrell’s meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti highlight how the parties must recommit to tackling problems and pursuing opportunities within the EU-facilitated Dialogue. “Non-implementation of past agreements is indeed a lost opportunity for both parties,” he argued.

Kurti says LDK, AAK want to criticise and not remove him from power (Express)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) want to criticise and attack him and not remove him from power. He said that he is ready for both democratic governance and new elections.

“I tried to enable new democratic elections now that I am in the final year of my mandate and when new elections are not a matter of years but months. We said let’s discuss together about the dissolution of the Assembly at a suitable month or season, but it seems that a big part of the opposition in Kosovo want only one thing more than my removal and that is to criticise and attack me, which means that I will remain Prime Minister until the fourth year and then they won’t be able to postpone them [the elections] anymore,” he argued.

Opposition MPs leave assembly session (media)

MPs from three opposition parties – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) – left today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly, after MPs from the ruling party – the Vetevendosje Movement – did not support the opposition’s proposals to withdraw the draft laws on the Independent Media Commission, the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and on the wages of public officials from the agenda. According to opposition representatives, the government did not take into consideration the recommendations of the European Union for the draft laws.

PDK parliamentary group chief Abelard Tahiri said in a Facebook post that “we could no longer stay in today’s session of the Assembly that was trying to adopt three draft laws that threaten the freedom of the media, the independence of the judiciary and the legal security of public officials. We cannot become a party of this government which through the Kosovo Assembly is trying to exert authoritarian control, intimidate and capture the media, the judiciary and the public administration”.

LDK MP Driton Selmanaj claimed that there has been “a clear attempt by the majority in the Assembly since 2021” to capture the media, the Prosecutorial Council and the public administration. “We have sent the law on the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the law on public officials to the Constitutional Court,” he said.

AAK parliamentary group chief Besnik Tahiri told reporters that “the three draft laws are an attack against democracy and freedom of speech, that they will inflict long-term damage to the independent institutions, and will create legal uncertainty by seriously damaging the state of law”.

AJK: Independent Media Commission draft law shouldn’t be adopted (Kallxo)

Chairman of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Xhemajl Rexha, at a press conference today, expressed concern over the draft law of the Independent Media Commission which is expected to be adopted today by the Kosovo Assembly. “As the AJK we say that civil society has not been included in the key phases of the drafting of the law and the government of Kosovo, the ruling party, showed no interest to talk with all stakeholders,” he argued.

Flutura Kusari, media lawyer, said that the law is crucial and that it should have been treated with high sensitivity. “The draft law on the IMC is the most crucial law and as such it should have been drafted with high sensitivity because the consequences of a bad law will have an impact on the pluralism of the media,” she said.

Kusari said that another concern is that the recommendations of the Council of Europe were not taken into consideration. “83 percent of recommendations of the Council of Europe were not taken into consideration by the parliamentary committee on the media,” she said.

The AJK issued the following press release today:

The draft law on the Independent Media Commission was drafted by the government in a non-transparent procedure without the involvement of civil society and the media industry, and was approved during the end-of-year holidays. The Committee on Media of the Assembly of Kosovo reviewed the draft law in a speedy process, without the involvement of civil society, while the opposition was generally not interested in the review process and has not offered alternatives other than what the government proposed.

The Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have found that the draft law deviates from European standards and have offered recommendations to improve it. The recommendations were not considered or treated seriously by the Committee on Media of the Assembly of Kosovo, with 83% of them ignored according to an analysis conducted by Information Integrity Forum.

The draft law on IMC is unclear, creates legal uncertainty and does not respect the principle of proportionality. If approved, the Independent Media Commission will be politically captured and online media will be subjected to chaotic regulation that will not work in practice. As a result, media pluralism as an achievement and value that distinguishes Kosovo from the region will be seriously endangered.

We invite Lëvizja Vetëvendosje not to pass this draft law that violates the standards of the Council of Europe. We ask the parliament to restart the drafting procedure by establishing a wide working group that includes local and international experts, and representatives of civil society and the media industry. We express our willingness to assist the drafting process with the aim of ensuring Kosovo has a media law that is fully compliant with European standards.

Kosovo has experienced an unprecedented and alarming decline in the media freedom index of Reporters Without Borders, dropping 19 places compared to the previous year. The adoption of this law will not contribute towards improvement of the media situation, quite the opposite.

AJK reacts to Basha’s “unacceptable, dangerous attacks” against Kusari (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) said in a statement today that Vetevendosje MP Dimal Basha “continued today unprecedented attacks against the media in Kosovo and civil society activists”. The AJK said that Basha’s remarks, targeting specifically media lawyer Flutura Kusari is unacceptable, dangerous and gender-based. “Mr. Basha’s accusations from the floor of the Assembly endanger the security of Kusari and are aimed at silencing the critical voices from civil society,” the reaction notes. It also says that “Mr. Basha’s discourse is regrettably a reflection of the position and policies of the Vetevendosje Movement and the Government of Kosovo against the freedom of the media, the freedom of speech and media pluralism in Kosovo”.

Former Serb member of Kosovo Police arrested for espionage (media)

Several news websites report that Aleksandar Vlajic, a former member of the Kosovo Police, was arrested in Mitrovica on Wednesday on espionage charges. Citing unnamed sources, RTV Dukagjini reported that Vlajic was arrested after information obtained by the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and cooperation with the Special Prosecution of Kosovo. The latter said in a statement that Vlajic was arrested after several months of investigation in cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and the Directorate against Terrorism of the Kosovo Police.

Several news websites quote Agim Musliu, head of the Pristina-based institute for hybrid warfare studies Octopus, as saying that Vlajic was part of the intelligence sector of Kosovo Police, that he “shared information with the Serbian Intelligence Agency and had a large network of information sources”.

Svecla: Fighting every form of terrorism is our priority (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in a Facebook post today that “for two days as member of the Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) together with representatives of many countries they discussed the process of repatriation of Kosovo nationals from war zones and the process of their rehabilitation and reintegration”. He said he presented the success of Kosovo’s institutions in the process of repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of Kosovo citizens from the war zones in Syria. “The fight against any form of terrorism is our priority therefore as institutions we work with all our mechanisms in preventing and fighting it,” he said.

Hoxha visits police units in Jarinje, Leposavic, Bernjak and Banjska (media)

Kosovo Police General Director Gazmend Hoxha together with deputy general director Fehmi Hoti and Kimberly Riffe, DOJ-ICITAP in the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, visited the north of Kosovo today, namely the border police units in Jarinje, Leposavic, Bernjak and Banjska, where police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed on September 24 last year. Hoxha commended the police officers for their work and engagement in providing security and rule of law for all citizens without any ethnic differences.

Serbian Language Media

O'Brien: Failure to implement earlier agreements a lost opportunity for both sides (Kosovo Online)

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Jim O'Brien commented on yesterday's round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, indicating that the non-implementation of earlier agreements is a lost opportunity for both sides, reported Kosovo Online.

O'Brien stressed on the X that the parties must commit to solving problems and seek opportunities within the dialogue.

"The parties must recommit themselves to solving problems and looking for opportunities within the dialogue led by the EU. Failure to implement earlier agreements is truly a lost opportunity for both parties," O'Brien said with the publication of the statement of EU High Representative Giuseppe Borello.

Brnabic: By rejecting the trilateral in Brussels, Kurti showed that he does not want dialogue (Tanjug, TV Pink)

The President of the Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, said today that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, refused to talk to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, in Brussels, because he does not want dialogue and has no interest in making any progress towards the Serbs in Kosovo enjoying even basic human rights, reported Tanjug.

Brnabic also assessed that Kurti "does not dare to sit opposite the President of Serbia".

"I think it has been unequivocally shown once again that Kurti does not want dialogue, no conversation. He also reiterated with this gesture that he has no intention to implement the Brussels Agreement, to establish the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and my impression is that he does not dare to sit across President Aleksandar Vucic, because he has arguments, he is not afraid to tell the truth, and he does not shy away from asking for answers. He demands to hear when the Brussels agreement, signed by the EU, will be implemented," Brnabic told TV Pink.

Arrested A.V. suspected of espionage (RTS, Radio Mitrovica sever, KoSSev)

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo announced last night that one person suspected of espionage was arrested.

According to the announcement, A.V. was arrested on Wednesday evening after several months of investigations by the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) and the Kosovo Police.

The suspect was detained for up to 48 hours, and the Kosovo police are currently searching the suspect's apartment.

"The Special Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kosovo, after several months of investigations in cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and the Kosovo Police - Directorate for Combating Terrorism, arrested one person in the Mitrovica region this evening. Arrested A.V. is suspected of committing the criminal offense of 'Espionage' from Article 124 of the KPRK. By the same decision of the prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office, he was detained for up to 48 hours, and the Kosovo Police is currently conducting a search of the suspect's apartment," the Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

According to KoSSev's unofficial findings, it is a former member of the KP.

A week ago, two people were arrested in Urosevac for the same crime.

One month detention was ordered for them.

The president of the Committee for Aid to Serbs from Republika Srpska denied entry to Kosovo (Tanjug, SRNA)

Pristina institutions this year also rejected the request of the president of the Committee for Aid to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Milorad Arlov, to visit Kosovo, reported Tanjug.

Arlov said in his statement to the Srna agency that his request was rejected even though he has a valid Serbian identity card. He recalled that this ban has been in effect since June 26, 2020, and that since then he has only been allowed to enter Kosovo once, in 2022.

"I was turned back from the Jarinje administrative crossing nine times and denied more than 10 times to enter Kosovo and Metohija as a person engaged in humanitarian work," said Arlov.

The Spanish Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the initiative to recognize Kosovo (Tanjug)

The Spanish Parliament today rejected the initiative of certain Catalan parties for Spain to recognize Kosovo, reported Tanjug.

The initiative was rejected with 293 votes "against", 27 abstentions, and 25 votes "for".

The German and Italian embassies supported the EU statement on three draft laws (KoSSev)

The EU Office in Kosovo reacted after the comments of the EU were not considered for the three draft laws, whose second reading was scheduled for today in the Assembly of Kosovo. The reaction of the EU was supported by the German and Italian embassies in Pristina, emphasising the importance of these laws for Kosovo's path to the EU.

In question are the draft laws on public servants, the independent media commission and the prosecutor's council of Kosovo, which the EU itself emphasises are crucial for Kosovo's accession to the EU, and they appealed to the Assembly to reconsider the proposed amendments.

The German Embassy gave its full support to yesterday's EU statement.

"Full German support for the statement of the EU Office in Kosovo," German Ambassador Jorn Rode wrote on his X account. He pointed out that even though these three draft laws are important for Kosovo on its way to the EU, they were still ignored. He underlines that it is important to consider the proposed amendments before voting, and to harmonise the drafts according to European standards.

Last night, the same message of support for the statement of the EU Office in Kosovo came from the Italian embassy. They emphasise that harmonisation of laws with European standards is key for Kosovo's entry into the EU.

"Harmonisation with EU and EC standards is key for Kosovo, we call on the Kosovo Assembly to take into account the proposed amendments," they said on their X account, reported KoSSev last night.

The SL MPs once again retained their mandates (NMagazin, Beta)

Deputies of the Serbian List reappeared today in the Assembly of Kosovo after boycotting the sessions from February 8 this year, reported NMagazin portal.

Pristina media announced that the deputies of the Serbian List appeared at the session in order to preserve their mandates and left the assembly hall immediately after the start of the session.

Andric Rakic: No progress in dialogue or formation of the CSM realistic during Lajcak's extended mandate (Kosovo Online)

Milica Andric Rakic, Program Manager at the NGO Social Initiative, does not expect progress in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia nor concrete steps regarding the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities during the extended mandate of EU representative for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, because, as she stated, this extension is a collegial act of goodwill by the EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

"The extension of Lajcak's mandate is primarily a collegial act of goodwill by Borrell toward the person who will replace him in that role, namely the future High Representative of the European Union. Simply, to give that person time to get acquainted with the dialogue first, and then to choose the person who will be the mediator, that is, to take over Miroslav Lajcak's role, and with whom they will work in the coming period. So, I think that is the only reason for the extension of his mandate. He will most likely spend the majority of that mandate participating in finding a successor and also helping that person to get more familiar with the dialogue," Andric Rakic said.

She emphasises that this decision does not have significant political importance and is a practical matter and an act of collegiality toward the new High Representative.

Andric Rakic adds that it is unrealistic to expect any progress in the dialogue or regarding the CSM until the end of Lajcak's mandate, especially since Kosovo's elections are scheduled for 2025.

Read more at :https://tinyurl.com/4wbjnmc9

“Miredita, dobar dan!” festival to kick off in Belgrade (N1, Beta)

The theater production “Father and Father,” based on Jeton Neziraj’s text and directed by Kushtrim Koliqi, will open this year’s edition of the “Miredita, dobar dan!” festival on Thursday, June 27, at Dorcol Platz in Belgrade.

The piece serves as a reminder of the losses endured during the Kosovo war, which concluded 25 years ago, leaving over 1600 individuals missing, said the organizers.

The festival, organized by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR, Serbia), Civic Initiatives (CI, Serbia), and Integra (Kosovo), will take place from June 27 to June 29 at multiple locations in Belgrade, while the program is available on the festival website.

Kosovo artists and authors will present themselves to the Belgrade audience through concerts, exhibitions, debates, performances, and film. The organizers said the festival is a blend of cultural collaboration and raising important political issues aimed at fostering openness and positive peace between Serbian and Kosovar societies.

In light of the hate campaign launched against the festival, we invite you to stand in solidarity with us by supporting the festival’s goals together and enjoying its program, the statement reads.

Tijana Djuknic from the YIHR earlier said that the festival program will be modified so that no public events are held on June 28, when St Vitus day is celebrated in Serbia. The festival program was rescheduled following calls from Serbian politicians for it to be called off because it was scheduled for the day of the religious and national holiday St Vitus Day, commemorating the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 between Serb and Ottoman forces. Head of the provisional authority of the city of Belgrade Aleksandar Sapic earlier said that the City of Belgrade will not consent to the use of public spaces and venues for the needs of the festival, while Serbia’s Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic urged the organizers to consider canceling the festival, describing it as a high-risk gathering.

The festival program reads that June 28 will be a day for sightseeing and cultural exploration of Belgrade. The festival is being held in Belgrade since 2014, and has been repeatedly targeted by right-wing groups in Serbia who have attempted to prevent its holding.

Opinion

Hungary’s EU ‘enlargement presidency’ will achieve limited success for Western Balkans (Balkan Insight)

Budapest’s pledged enlargement-centric agenda will be heavily constrained not only by the administrative aftermath of the EU elections, but also by political resistance from many member states that regard this EU presidency with skepticism.

From July 1 until December 31, Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, ahead of which it declared that EU enlargement to the Western Balkans will be a major policy priority.

Yet, arguably, the impact of Budapest’s pledged enlargement-centric agenda will be heavily constrained not only by the administrative aftermath of June’s EU elections – a period of institutional transition that could well stretch until the end of the year – but especially by the political resistance of a vast majority of member states that eye this presidency with skepticism and concern.

Even so, Hungary’s six months at the helm of the Council of the EU will at least still bring the question of the Western Balkans’ EU integration to the fore, for which it will strategically draw on its well-nurtured structures of diplomatic positioning in the region.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mwsh8z3s

International

Kosovo: Draft law on Independent Media Commission might endanger its political independence (ecpmf.eu)

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bd95hvmh

Serbia’s Vucic fumes as footballers travel to Euro 2024 on Croatian plane (Politico)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was “extremely angry” that his country's men’s football team traveled to the European Championship in Germany on a Croatian plane.

That’s according to Ana Brnabić, a former Serbian prime minister and current president of its parliament, who discussed the controversy during an appearance on Happy TV-u.

“We have our Air Serbia and we all travel with that company. When the plane lands, to see Air Serbia, that's our pride," she said, per index.hr, adding of the decision to use a Croatian flight: “It is absolutely necessary to determine how it happened and who is responsible.”

She said the contretemps hadn’t been revealed earlier because it could have distracted the public from supporting the national team.

Regardless of how it arrived, the Serbian team will be flying home early from Germany after failing to win any of its three group games and scoring only one goal at Euro 2024.