Albanian Language Media: 

• Bajqinovci: New Assembly will be constituted in 10 days (media)
• Murati: Failure to form the new Assembly impacts other processes too (media)
• Haradinaj: Bedri Hamza or Lumir Abdixhiku as Prime Minister (media)
• Osmani meets EULEX chief, discuss security and rule of law (media)
• Abdixhiku from EPP Congress: Kosovo to keep doors open with allies (media)
• Energy prices for businesses expected to increase by up to 30 percent (RFE)
• COMKFOR Barduani visits Belgrade meets Mojsilovic and Quint reps (media)
• U.S. KFOR soldiers conduct emergency management training (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Vucic met Kos; spoke to Meloni,  Orban on phone (media)
• Macut: Commitment to EU integration priority for Serbia (Tanjug, RTS, media)
• Kos: Serbia has much to offer to Europe - work with us on reforms (RTS, Blic, Tanjug, media)
• Djuric met with Austria's Meinl-Reisinger (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, media)
• Mojsilovic, Barduani on security situation in Kosovo (Tanjug) 
• KFOR: Barduani also spoke with representatives of the Quint countries and the EU in Belgrade (Kosovo Online) 
• Students in North Mitrovica hold vigil to Novi Sad canopy collapse victims, reject political accusations (KoSSev)
• "Interreligious Dialogue": A new meeting of religious leaders in the Pec region (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media 

Bajqinovci: New Assembly will be constituted in 10 days (media)

MP from Vetevendosje Movement, Mefail Bajqinovci, said on Tuesday that the blockade over constituting the new Assembly of Kosovo will be solved within ten days, and that Albulena Haxhiu will be very soon voted as Assembly Speaker. “We have discussions with NISMA and the minority parties, and I believe that the next step after forming the new Assembly, which I believe will happen soon, will be the vote for the Assembly Speaker, in this case Albulena Haxhiu. I am confident that in less than 10 days the stalemate will be unblocked. I believe discussions are focused on the modalities of the agreement for a ruling coalition. I don’t believe this blockade will last for long,” he said in an interview with TeVe1. 

Murati: Failure to form the new Assembly impacts other processes too (media)

Kosovo’s acting Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, said on Tuesday that the failure to form the new Assembly of Kosovo has consequences for other processes too, adding that “the government cannot submit the medium-term expenditure framework, which needs to be sent to the Assembly before April 30”. “There is a similar situation with the municipal grants commission, where the law foresees the participation of the chair of the parliamentary committee on the budget. In the absence of a functional Assembly, there is no budget committee and there is no one to participate in the grants committee which in turn delays the allocation of municipal grants,” Murati said in a Facebook post. 

Haradinaj: Bedri Hamza or Lumir Abdixhiku as Prime Minister (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that he is optimistic that a new government can be formed by parties that were in the opposition. “I am in favor. The PDK has a moral right because it has the biggest number of votes and it would be Bedri Hamza. But if the PDK and LDK reach an agreement and propose [LDK leader] Lumir Abdixhiku [for Prime Minister] I would support that,” Haradinaj said in an interview with Kanal 10.

Osmani meets EULEX chief, discuss security and rule of law (media)

Most news websites reported on Tuesday that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) Giovanni Pietro Barbano, and discussed the latest development in the areas of security and the rule of law. “Both parties highlighted the importance of continuous cooperation between the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and EULEX as part of the technical mandate of this mission for monitoring, mentoring and advising. President Osmani reconfirmed the commitment of institutions for constructive cooperation with EULEX, in the service of strengthening the constitutional order and the rule of law,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes. 

Abdixhiku from EPP Congress: Kosovo to keep doors open with allies (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku is attending the European People’s Party Congress, where he held a series of meetings with European leaders. “Meetings with friends of the LDK and friends of Kosovo on the first day of the Congress. We reelected Manfred Weber as EPP leader with 610 votes from a total of 673 participants. I met him and congratulated him on his reelection, and I asked for a greater engagement of the European right in our country. I also met other European leaders on the first day. We held speeches and discussions about our opinions and the common future of our countries. Incoming German Chancellor Merz held an inspiring speech and guarantee for all. Kosovo must keep its doors open for our allies,” Abdixhiku said in a Facebook post. 

Energy prices for businesses expected to increase by up to 30 percent (RFE)

Representatives of some companies licensed to supply electricity in Kosovo have said that energy prices for bigger businesses are expected to increase by up to 30 percent. These companies have currently stepped up efforts to secure energy on the eve of the liberalization of the energy market.  The liberalization of the energy market in countries of the European Union started in the early 1990s with the aim of greater competition, efficiency, security and choices for consumers. Meanwhile, the process is underway in the Western Balkans. In Kosovo, the energy market liberalization is foreseen by the Law on Energy adopted in 2017, but its implementation has been postponed due to different circumstances. The Energy Regulator Office (ERO) has already decided that starting from June 1 all bigger companies – namely those with over 50 employees and with an annual turnover of €10 million – will move to the open energy market. According to ERO, there are over 1,000 such companies.

COMKFOR Barduani visits Belgrade meets Mojsilovic and Quint reps (media)

Commander of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), Major General Enrico Barduani, met on Tuesday in Belgrade with the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic. “They shared views on the security situation and took stock of their respective efforts. ‘We have a long-standing collaboration with the Serbian Armed Forces and I stand fully committed to building upon this throughout the rest of my tenure; continued cooperation, dialogue and information sharing are mutually beneficial and are key to regional stability,” the KFOR Commander pointed out,” KFOR said in a Facebook post. 

Barduani also met the diplomatic representatives of France (Pierre Cochard), Germany (Carsten Meyer-Wiefhousen), Italy (Luca Gori), the United Kingdom (Edward Ferguson) and the United States of America (Alexander Titolo) to Serbia at a meeting of the QUINT Group, which the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret) also attended. He updated them on KFOR’s activities and on the mission’s resolute cooperation with the International Community, including with regards to steadfast support for the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. 

These meetings were part of the KFOR Commander’s regular interactions with his main counterparts across the Western Balkans region.

U.S. KFOR soldiers conduct emergency management training (media)

U.S. soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led KFOR mission joined together with members of the Camp Bondsteel Fire Department and the Kosovo Search and Rescue Association for a two-day training event focusing on emergency management, including firefighting and first aid, KFOR said in a Facebook post. “These efforts are part of KFOR’s daily mission to stay prepared for any scenario and constantly support all communities living in Kosovo,” the post notes.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic met Kos; spoke to Meloni,  Orban on phone (media)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, met last night with the Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy of the European Commission, Marta Kos, who is on a two-day visit to Serbia.

He assessed in an Instagram post that the conversation was good and about the key challenges and opportunities on our European path, with a special focus on reforms and the implementation of the European Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. He emphasized Serbia's full readiness to speed up the reforms - not because of bureaucratic demands, but because of the belief that they bring a better life to citizens.

"I believe that through serious work, responsibility and sincere partnership with the European Union, we will use the existing momentum and open a new phase in the process of European integration of Serbia," said President Vucic.

The Serbian President spoke to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni by phone on Tuesday. Western Balkan affairs, concrete steps to strengthening mutual cooperation, the upcoming EXPO, where Italy’s participation was confirmed, were discussed during the conversation, Vucic said in a post on buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account. He thanked Italy for its principled and continued support for Serbia's EU integration process, and said Serbia extremely appreciated the strong strategic partnership with Italy, "one of our most important political and economic partners in the EU."

"PM Meloni again confirmed that Italy remains committed to further EU enlargement and to support for Western Balkan countries on that path," Vucic noted.

In a phone conversation with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban yesterday Vucic wrote in an Instagram post that they had agreed to meet soon.

Macut: Commitment to EU integration priority for Serbia (Tanjug, RTS, media)

Commitment to EU integration is the absolute priority for Serbia, PM Djuro Macut said after a meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in Belgrade on Tuesday and noted that his government would continue the process strongly.

"Just like Commissioner Kos, too, said, that process is already a long-running one. Serbia is among the countries with the most years and the longest experience in EU accession, and some elements that will be mentioned - that is, accelerating the process of opening new clusters such as Cluster 3 - will be the very foundation of this government's work," Macut said at a press conference with Kos.

He noted that, in his programme, Cluster 3 pertained to processes aimed at enhancing education and science, as well as to the field of culture and information.

"I hope education will be one of the key elements of Kos's visit, that she will support our efforts to establish dialogue, in fact, to maintain dialogue, which has been frozen in the past several months, and that her strong support will result in this process materialising for us as soon as possible, and in getting Serbia back on track in the field of education as early as in the coming days," Macut said.

He said that, even though Serbia's EU accession talks had not progressed at the desired pace, "especially in the past three years," Serbia was "intensively carrying out all reforms with the aim of enhancing rule of law, judicial independence and the fight against corruption."

"That is something that is a standard and that will certainly be bolstered in the coming period through adoption of various legal regulations and, perhaps, new laws in the areas I have already spoken about, above all, in education and science," Macut noted.

Kos: Serbia has much to offer to Europe - work with us on reforms (RTS, Blic, Tanjug, media)

Serbia has much to offer to Europe, and Europe looks forward to that, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on Tuesday in Belgrade after meeting with Serbian PM Djuro Macut. Kos said she had called for joint work on reforms to make Serbia's EU membership possible.

We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to complete the unification of Europe, and it is not just about enlargement, she said.

Many candidate countries have realised that reforms need to be carried out more quickly than has been the case until now, Kos noted, adding that she would like to see the same in Serbia, a country of rich history, tradition and very hard-working and innovative people.

She said an offer to the Serbian people had been presented to Macut at the meeting.

"It is as follows: Work with us on reforms to make your membership possible," she said, urging Serbia to work with the EU on establishing an independent judiciary capable of fighting corruption efficiently, on law enforcement and on establishing institutions that would ensure free media where all opinions would be represented, as well as on establishing an electoral framework that would ensure the will of the Serbian people was heard.

Kos said Serbia would not be able to make progress without such changes.

She said the requests were, in fact, very close to what protesters in Serbian streets were requesting.

Kos said the meeting with Macut had also addressed Europe's place in a changing world, as well as cooperation between the European Commission and the new Serbian government.

She said Europe faced new security challenges and changes in trade and that European unity was the best solution, and that the EU's neighbours and candidate countries were very important in that regard.

Djuric met with Austria's Meinl-Reisinger (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Belgrade on Tuesday to discuss economic cooperation, the political situation in Serbia, EU integration and the situation in Kosovo. Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the MFA, Djuric noted that Austria was a major contributor to economic development in the region and one of the largest investors in Serbia, with Austrian companies employing thousands of Serbians.

"Serbia is a country that is seeing accelerated economic growth and represents an excellent opportunity not only for Austrian businesses, but for other businesses as well," Djuric said.

He said he was pleased the Austrian minister was visiting Serbia just one month into the term of the new Serbian government.

"That confirms Austria's interest in cooperation with the region and Serbia and demonstrates Austria's desire to work with us even more deeply on the European agenda in the coming period," Djuric said, adding that Serbia had a desire to meet all conditions for EU membership.

He noted that Serbia was working intensively on overcoming internal problems and establishing dialogue.

Djuric said the meeting with Meinl-Reisinger had also addressed the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and that he had noted that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo must be protected.

Meinl-Reisinger said she was pleased to be in Belgrade for a second time and noted that the partnership with Serbia was very important for Austria.

"I am very proud of the close economic cooperation of the more than 800 Austrian companies that are operating in Serbia. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to meet with representatives of those companies at dinner. Austrian companies provide 24,000 jobs in Serbia," Meinl-Reisinger said.

Mojsilovic, Barduani on security situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met with KFOR Commander Maj Gen Enrico Barduani in Belgrade on Tuesday to discuss the current security situation in Kosovo, which they agreed remained unstable and sensitive, reported Tanjug.

“The parties also discussed joint activities of the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR that are aimed at monitoring the situation on the ground and, ultimately, preserving peace and security in Serbia's southern province,” the Serbian MoD said in a statement.

Regular contact needs to continue to be maintained at all levels and joint activities need to be continued to reduce tensions on the ground and prevent an escalation of the crisis, Mojsilovic and Barduani agreed.

Noting that Serbs in Kosovo did not feel safe, Mojsilovic requested from Barduani that the international security forces in the province execute their mandate without bias in line with UNSCR 1244 and the Military-Technical Agreement and ensure a safe environment and freedom of movement to all - above all, the Serb community.

KFOR: Barduani also spoke with representatives of the Quint countries and the EU in Belgrade (Kosovo Online) 

KFOR announced that in the conversation with General Mojsilovic, Barduani emphasized that cooperation, dialogue and exchange of information are key to regional stability, reported Kosovo Online.

"We have a long-standing cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces and I am fully committed to upgrading it. Continuous cooperation, dialogue and exchange of information are mutually beneficial and are key to regional stability," said Barduani.

Yesterday in Belgrade, the commander of the KFOR also met with the diplomatic representatives of the Quint countries - Pierre Koshar of France, Carsten Mayer-Wiffhausen of Germany, Luca Gori of Italy, Edward Ferguson of the United Kingdom and Alexander Titolo of the USA. The head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret, also attended that meeting.

Barduani informed them about the activities of KFOR and about the determined cooperation of the mission with the international community, including firm support for the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, which is mediated by the EU.

These meetings are part of the regular interactions of the KFOR commander with his key colleagues throughout the Western Balkans region, the statement added.

Students in North Mitrovica hold vigil to Novi Sad canopy collapse victims, reject political accusations (KoSSev)

A silent protest held yesterday outside the Faculty of Philosophy in North Mitrovica once again drew attention to the lingering grief over the November 1 tragedy in Novi Sad, as well as to deepening political tensions surrounding the University of Pristina’s temporary seat in this northern Kosovo town.

At precisely 11:52 a.m.—the exact time when a canopy collapsed last year at the renovated Novi Sad railway station, killing 16 people—students gathered for a “16 Minutes of Silence” action to honor the victims. Citizens joined the students in silence.

According to KoSSev, the moment of remembrance was marred by loud music coming from a nearby café. Despite appeals from the students and organizers, the volume was not lowered.

Reportedly, Kosovo Police monitored the gathering and were present in larger numbers than usual but made no interventions.

KoSSev reported that although the gathering was silent and free of speeches, messages nonetheless resonated loudly—this time in written form. Students hung three hand-written banners on the gates of the University Rectorate building, calling for the preservation of education under the Serbian system, demanding a university free of party politics, and denouncing accusations made against them:

“From this rectorate, where representatives of the Republic of Kosovo work, came accusations that students are Kurti’s mercenaries. Do you have no shame or dignity?!“ one banner read.

Earlier this year, reports emerged accusing the student protesters of being politically manipulated or aligned with the government of Albin Kurti. Yesterday’s messages were a pointed rebuttal, underscoring the students’ insistence that their actions are independent and grounded in genuine concern—both for victims of tragedy and for the future of their education.

"Interreligious Dialogue": A new meeting of religious leaders in the Pec region (KoSSev)

This year, KFOR also gathered representatives of religious communities in the Pec region, reported KoSSev. 

In the camp "Villaggio Italia" (Villaggio Italia) near Pec, of the Western Regional Command of KFOR, a now traditional meeting of all representatives of religious communities from this region took place two days ago. 

The Visoki Decani monastery reported on the meeting.

"Yesterday (28/4/2024), Colonel Francesco Errico, Commander of KFOR Regional Command West, hosted an inter-religious gathering at Camp “Villaggio Italia” near Peć/Peja. The meeting brought together representatives of #Muslim and #Christian communities in #Kosovo.

The Serbian Orthodox Church was represented by Fr. Sava Janjić, Abbot of the Monastery of Visoki Dečani; Father Miloš Vukić, parish priest of Sirinić; and Fr. Amfilohije Knežević from Dečani Monastery.

In an atmosphere of mutual respect and openness, the participants reflected on the role of faith in promoting peace, fostering dialogue, and strengthening tolerance in today’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.  Following the discussion, Colonel Errico hosted a luncheon for all those present,” it was said in the Decani Monastery post on X.