UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 23, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti meets French Minister for Europe, “grateful for France’s support” (media)
Local elections and von der Leyen visit can help further lift measures (Koha)
Osmani travels to Germany, will give speech at Berlin University (media)
Osmani hosts UK delegation for prevention of sexual violence in conflict (media)
Damka: Turkish MPs will vote in favor of Kurti 3 government (media)
Behgjet Pacolli resigned as AKR leader (media)
Kosovo products to have international barcodes soon (AP)
KFOR soldiers conduct missions in northern Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Uncertain cooperation of local authorities in north of Kosovo with central institutions (RFE)
Vucic says EP resolution on Serbia in line with coloured revolution (Tanjug)
Dacic: “EP resolution is political pamphlet full of lies” (N1)
US Embassy issues security alert after incident outside Serbian Parliament (N1)
Stefanovic: Perpetrator of attack outside parliament building suspected of attempted murder (Tanjug)

Opinion:

Feminist diplomacy: let's accelerate mobilization (media)

International:

Assessment of the effectiveness of measures for the protection of child victims or witnesses of violence (unicef.org)
Kosovo awards road upgrade deals worth 17.8 mln euro (SeeNews)
EBRD, EU back Kosovo youth-led MSMEs with 4.5 mln euro (SeeNews)
RS blocks relations between BiH and Kosovo: Politics hinders economic processes (Sarajevo Times)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti meets French Minister for Europe, “grateful for France’s support” (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that he met with the French Minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad on the sidelines of the Berlin Process Summit in London. “We discussed strengthening Kosovo–France ties, security, regional developments, and EU integration. Grateful for France’s support as a key EU member and for our shared values that guide our partnership,” Kurti said.

A press release issued by the Kosovo government said that Kurti highlighted “France’s important role for security in Europe as a key actor of the European Union and its contribution to the Western Balkans and stressed the need for Kosovo to get the questionnaire and candidate status for EU membership”.

Local elections and Von der Leyen visit can help further lift measures (Koha)

The visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Kosovo can help in further steps by the European Union to gradually lift the measures against Kosovo but for the time being there is no concrete action in this regard.

Diplomatic sources in the EU say that the smooth course of the local elections in Kosovo was a good signal, especially the large turnout of Kosovo Serbs in the voting. But the same sources also said that some circles want to wait and see how the transfer of local government will be made to those that won in the local elections.

An EU spokesperson told the news website that Von der Leyen was encouraged after the talks she had in Kosovo. “President Von der Leyen had constructive discussions with President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti during her Western Balkans tour. She was encouraged by the first round of peaceful, competitive and inclusive local elections, with the participation of all communities. This is an important signal of de-escalation in the north which will be considered in the context of further lifting of measures,” the spokesperson said. “We expect the second round of elections to be held in the same spirit and we look forward to a regular transition of local government”.

Osmani travels to Germany, will give speech at Berlin University (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has travelled to Germany where she will give a speech at the Berlin University today and talk about defending democracy. Osmani is also scheduled to hold several meetings during her stay in Germany.

Osmani hosts UK delegation for prevention of sexual violence in conflict (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted a delegation of the Advisory Board of the British Government for Prevention of Sexual Violence in war. “In the month of October, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, an integral part of which is the protection and empowerment of survivors of sexual violence in war and conflict, President Osmani hosted a delegation of the Advisory Board of the British Government for Prevention of Sexual Violence in war. The delegation included survivors from different countries. Stories about the pain, finding the strength to overcome it and the successes of survivors that were present both inspired us and led to discussions and exchange of new ideas for cooperation. The voice of survivors of sexual violence is crucial in designing sustainable and effective policies, in order to ensure full wellbeing for all and concrete steps toward establishing justice,” a statement by Osmani’s office notes.

Damka: Turkish MPs will vote in favor of Kurti 3 government (media)

Leader of the Turkish Democratic Party, Fikrim Damka, said in an interview with RTV21 today that two Turkish members of the Kosovo Assembly will vote in favor of a Kurti-led government. “After the parliamentary elections, in March we had a meeting with Kurti to form the Kurti 3 government and we agreed on the formation of the government. I don’t believe that anything has changed since then. If a Kurti 3 government is presented for voting on Sunday, we as MPs from the Turkish community, will vote in favor of the formation of the government because we are running very late. We don’t have any conditions. We are part of the Kurti 2 government. I was part of it as minister and I believe I will continue in the Kurti 3 government. We will have the post of Deputy Prime Minister in the Kurti 3 government. That is what we have agreed upon,” Damka said.

Behgjet Pacolli resigned as AKR leader (media)

Several news websites report that Behgjet Pacolli resigned his post as leader of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) several weeks ago. The news was confirmed by Vesel Makolli, who has been appointed acting leader of the party. Makolli told the media today that Kosovo’s Central Election Commission has been notified about the changes.

Chamber of Commerce: Kosovo products to have international barcodes soon (AP)

Kosovo’s Chamber of Commerce (KCC) said today that local products will soon have international barcodes. KCC chairman Lulzim Rafuna announced the news after meeting with the chairman of the GS1 Foundation of Turkey, Elif Muftuoglu. “Thanks to this cooperation, GS1 Kosova will soon start issuing international barcodes, paving the way for Kosovo’s products to have broader recognition and presence in international markets,” the KCC said in a Facebook post.

KFOR soldiers conduct missions in northern Kosovo (media)

The U.S., Latvian, Polish, Turkish, and German soldiers from the Regional Command-East maneuver battalion of the KFOR mission have carried out air insertion missions over northern Kosovo. Conducted both day and night with aviation units, KFOR said these operations enable patrols to reach key areas along the border, strengthening interaction, coordination, and operational readiness among the mission’s forces in the region. “Such activities are essential for maintaining unit cohesion and readiness while ensuring KFOR’s continued effectiveness in supporting a safe and secure environment for all people across Kosovo,” the statement added.

Serbian Language Media

Uncertain cooperation of local authorities in north of Kosovo with central institutions (RFE)

Radio Free Europe reported today that despite the expectations of the EU that the new local authorities in the north of Kosovo will cooperate with the central institutions in the interest of people, something like that is uncertain.

According to the CEC preliminary results, the Serbian List (SL) received by far the most votes in North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok - municipalities with a Serb majority that have been led by Albanian mayors since May 2023 because this largest Serbs' party left the institutions in November 2022. The cause for this move was precisely the disagreements with the Government of Kosovo headed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, that is, because of the effort to abolish Serbian license plates for cities in Kosovo.

In the meantime, the SL continued to criticize almost every move of the Government in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, claiming that decisions made harmed the Serbian community.

On the other hand, the Self-Determination Movement, headed by Albin Kurti, tried to prevent the SL from participating in the February parliamentary elections and the local elections on October 12, because their member of the election commission did not want to vote for their certification.

RFE asked the Serbian List whether the new local leadership in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo will cooperate with the central institutions of Kosovo. According to RFE the answer did not arrive until the publication of the article.

The same question sent to GoK was not answered either, reported RFE.

RFE recalled that the SL announced on October 22 its expectations that, after the final election results, "the normal work of the municipalities, especially in the north, will be enabled, without obstruction from Pristina."

This was announced after officials of the SL in Pristina met with the EU's special representative for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Peter Sorensen, with whom, as stated, they discussed the political and security situation, as well as the recently held elections.

The EU spokesperson told RFE in a written statement that the EU expects that the newly elected municipal authorities in the north of Kosovo, in cooperation with the central institutions, will "constructively approach solving the needs and demands of the population through the institutions and in accordance with the laws" in the coming period. They noted that the EU expects "an orderly transition of local government in the municipalities in the north", after the results of the local elections are confirmed.

Why is cooperation between local and central authorities important?

The former Minister of Local Self-Government in Kosovo, Sadri Ferati, told RFE that the cooperation of local and central authorities is crucial for the development of a municipality because the main resources come from the Government of Kosovo.

There are funds that are allocated based on the number of inhabitants of a municipality and their needs, as well as special funds for capital investments.

"There are limited opportunities for municipalities to have their own funds, so the cooperation of local and central authorities is necessary in order to invest in development projects," Ferati pointed out, noting that the municipalities currently have the budget they receive at their disposal, but that it was necessary to plan new projects and investments.

"The central government is obliged to forward a part of the funds to the municipalities," noted Ferati and added that laws oblige municipalities, ministries and the government to cooperate.

"You shouldn't play with institutions and citizens' interests"

The new Government of Kosovo has not yet been formed after the February elections due to the political crisis that has arisen.

The Self-Determination Movement of Albin Kurti won the elections, but this party does not have enough votes to independently form the Government.

On October 21, Kurti hinted that he might not be able to form a new government and added that the alternative is to hold new elections.

Out of the ten parliamentary seats reserved for the Serbian community, the SL won nine in the February elections. Despite this, Nenad Rasic was elected as the vice-president of the Assembly of Kosovo, who won one parliamentary seat in front of the party For Freedom, Justice and Survival - which was why the SL appealed to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.

Sadri Ferati told RFE that the officials of the Serbian List and Self-Determination have so far been mostly guided by political decisions, but that they, as leaders of local or central institutions, must cooperate.

"You shouldn't play with the institutions and interests of the citizens... The new mayors must cooperate with the central authorities, but the central authorities must also accept cooperation with the leaders of the municipalities. Everyone must behave with mutual respect," believes Ferati.

On the other hand, Miodrag Milicevic from the NGO Aktiv points out to RFE that in recent years there has not been even minimal cooperation between the Serbian List and the Government led by Self-Determination, and that it is "almost impossible" to imagine any future cooperation.

"We have a number of indicators that indicate a lack of compliance and a lack of political capacity for such responsibility. It is difficult to imagine some kind of normalization with the absence of coalition potential," Milicevic believes.

Therefore, as he added, he expects greater pressure from the international community in order to avoid new tensions.

The north of Kosovo has been shaken by high tensions since the Serbs left the institutions, and the situation culminated in an armed attack by the Serbs on the Kosovo police in September 2023.

The responsibility for this attack was then taken by the then vice-president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, from whom this leading party of the Serbs in Kosovo has never clearly distanced itself.

According to RFE, this is precisely the reason why cooperation with the representatives of the Serbian List is also avoided by other Albanian parties.

Vucic says EP resolution on Serbia in line with coloured revolution (Tanjug)

Commenting on a new European Parliament resolution on Serbia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said it was logical, expected and in line with a colored revolution, and that its condemnation of alleged use of a sonic cannon - which he noted had not taken place - said everything about the MEPs' seriousness and sense of responsibility.

"As you have seen, the majority of those who wanted to speak were Croats. Six of them, if I am not mistaken. It is all expected and logical, all in line with the colored revolution", Vucic said in a public address at the Palace of Serbia.

"There have been many more stern resolutions. What I am concerned about is when someone tells you 'we have relevant sources that have established that a sonic cannon was used'", what it tells me is not only that a part of the people there are pathological liars - you have it in every society, every parliament, every place. But I must admit I did not expect the pathological lying to be at European parliament level", Vucic said.

The EP resolution, tabled by individual Social Democrat, Green, EPP, ECR and Renew Europe MEPs, was carried with 457 votes for, 103 against and 72 abstentions. The non-binding document includes remarks about the situation in Serbia following the November 1, 2024 roof collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, as well as about protests sparked by the tragedy.

Dacic: “EP resolution is political pamphlet full of lies” (N1)

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said the European Parliament’s resolution on Serbia is a political pamphlet full of lies, N1 reported.

He told the Serbian public broadcaster RTS that the resolution is full of lies. “It is a political pamphlet, not a serious document”, Dacic said in a live appearance on the RTS morning news. According to the minister, some of the claims in the resolution are “ordinary lies” and added that it was based on “views from Serbia”.

Dacic said the resolution is non-binding and compared it to an advertisement board which anyone can write on.

US Embassy issues security alert after incident outside Serbian Parliament (N1)

The US Embassy on Wednesday issued a security alert regarding an incident in front of the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, advising all American citizens to avoid that part of the city.

A post by the Embassy on the X social media platform said that a shooting took place with an undetermined number of injuries, followed by a fire breaking out in Pioneers’ Park, directly across from Parliament in downtown Belgrade. “At this time, the incident appears to be localized and there are no known threats to U.S. citizens. The Embassy advises all U.S. citizens to avoid the area”, the post said.

Several tents in an encampment set up by ruling party supporters outside the Serbian Parliament in downtown Belgrade caught fire on Wednesday shortly after 10 am. The fire was later brought under control. The blaze was preceded by an incident in which one man was wounded and another arrested for assault with firearms.

Stefanovic: Perpetrator of attack outside parliament building suspected of attempted murder (Tanjug)

The chief public prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanovic, said on Wednesday the perpetrator of a shooting outside the Serbian Parliament building in central Belgrade had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

After a verbal dispute arising from differing political views, the suspect produced a firearm he was carrying illegally and fired several shots, hitting another person in the thigh and a gas bottle that stood nearby, causing an explosion and fire, Stefanovic said.

He said the suspect had been identified and arrested in the shortest period of time and that timely and efficient police action had prevented an even greater tragedy.

Opinion

Feminist diplomacy: let's accelerate mobilization (media)

Opinion by Olivier Guérot, French Ambassador to Kosovo.

How to unite, act and resist together to defend women's, girls' rights and gender equality? This is the central issue of the 4th Ministerial Conference of Feminist Diplomacy that France will host on October 22 and 23, 2025. The conference will bring together foreign ministers from all regions of the world, representatives of international organizations, public development banks, as well as civil society, research and philanthropic foundations.

Since 2019, France has carried out a feminist diplomacy, placing gender equality and women's rights as a cross priority of its external action: peace and security, development, democratic governance, humanitarian action, among others. Far from an incantatory speech, this feminist diplomacy is embodied in concrete public policies and strong partnerships.

France and its partners are already acting in favour of the rights of women and girls

France has made the defense of women and girls' rights and gender equality a strategic and geopolitical challenge to build fair, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies. Experience shows that women’s participation in the negotiation process greatly increases the likelihood of a process being sustainable. Similarly, policies that fully integrate gender equality will more effectively combat global warming, stimulate growth, and strengthen the resilience of our societies.

On March 7, 2025, France presented its international strategy for feminist diplomacy. The defense of sexual and reproductive rights and health is strengthened there. New priorities are being erected, putting gender equality at the heart of France’s response to contemporary challenges: crises and conflicts, climate change, health, international finance, digital and artificial intelligence.

France's feminist diplomacy is implementing concrete initiatives. A financial fund was launched in 2020 to benefit more than 1,400 organizations in 75 countries. Another example is the online laboratory for women's rights, created in 2024 It is the first international platform for exchange and incubation of projects against gender-based violence in the digital environment.

While gender inequality persists, much remains to be done.

Despite these initiatives and progress made by the international community, there is still a lot to be done. At the current rate, according to UN Women, it would take nearly 300 years to achieve real equality in the world.

Gender inequalities persist or worsen even today. Conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50% between 2022 and 2023. In too many countries, millions of women are deprived of the fundamental right to dispose of their bodies: 193 million women only have access to abortion when their lives are in danger and 142 million do not have access to abortions under any circumstances. Wherever crises shake the social fabric, in Afghanistan, Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, women's rights are first victims.

A high-level conference to reaffirm our collective resolve and ambition

In an international context marked by a significant decline in dedicated funding and a surge in anti-rights movements, the 4th Ministerial Conference on Women Diplomacy will reaffirm our shared resolve to defend and promote women's rights and gender equality, without accepting any recession. Together, we will keep moving.

International

Assessment of the effectiveness of measures for the protection of child victims or witnesses of violence (unicef.org)

The assessment, conducted under the Action “Protecting Vulnerable Children in Kosovo”, funded by the European Union in Kosovo and implemented by UNICEF in cooperation with KOMF, examines how effectively child victims and witnesses of violence are protected in Kosovo.

While Kosovo has aligned its legal framework with international child protection standards through the Juvenile Justice Code and the Law on Child Protection, the assessment finds that implementation remains inconsistent. Gaps such as delays in secondary legislation, insufficient professional capacity, lack of essential services (including child protection houses and child helpline), and weak coordination undermine the system’s effectiveness.

These shortcomings risk further victimization and hinder children’s recovery and reintegration. The report calls for stronger institutional coordination, capacity-building, and full implementation of existing laws to ensure genuine, child-sensitive protection aligned with international standards.

The assessment available at: https://tinyurl.com/2cpu8fep

EBRD, EU back Kosovo youth-led MSMEs with 4.5 mln euro (SeeNews)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Wednesday it is providing a 4.5 million euro ($5.2 million) loan to Kosovo’s Banka per Biznes (BpB) to boost access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned or led by people under 35.

The financing is extended under the Western Balkans Youth in Business programme, which aims to help young entrepreneurs overcome barriers such as limited collateral, insufficient credit history and lack of management experience, the EBRD said in a press release.

The loan is backed by the European Union through the EFSD+ Growth4All Programme, which provides risk coverage for lending to young business owners. Sweden, Italy and Luxembourg are also contributing technical assistance to enhance BpB’s capacity to serve youth-led MSMEs.

The EBRD holds a 10% stake in BpB. Shareholders also include Italy’s Banka di Cividale, Czech lender Moneta and 14 Kosovo businessmen.

Kosovo awards road upgrade deals worth 17.8 mln euro (SeeNews)

Kosovo’s infrastructure ministry on Thursday said it has awarded two contracts worth a total 17.8 million euro ($20.6 million) in a tender for upgrades on a section of the M-9 national road, which connects the country to Montenegro to the west and Serbia to the northeast.