Albanian Language Media: 

• Court says that MPs need to form the new assembly in 30 days (media)
• Murati: Secret vote does not violate the Constitution (media)
• Tahiri: Establishment of committee for a secret vote is unconstitutional (media)
• Haradinaj: Court court created a legal basis to emerge from deadlock (media)
• Haliti calls for constitution of Assembly (Telegrafi)
• Caretaker Minister of Agriculture to run for Mitrovica mayor (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Vucic: 1999 bombing was precedent that is now coming back like boomerang (Tanjug)
• Djuric: Presence in OAS important for our economy, support in UN (media)
• Serbian MFA: On this day UN Charter was signed, Serbia remains committed to its principles (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Kosovo Constitutional Court sets 30-day deadline to complete Assembly’s inaugural session (KoSSev)
• Vucic hopes he won’t have to demonstrate state force because of ‘someone’s violence’ (N1)
• Education Workers’ Union calls on educators to participate in June 28 student protest (N1)

International:

• Kosovo public institutions fined €110,000 for violating citizens’ privacy (PI)

Albanian Language Media 

Court says that MPs need to form the new assembly in 30 days (media)

All news websites reported on Thursday that members of the Kosovo Assembly need to form the new legislative body within 30 days. Commenting on the request by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) for switching from an open to a secret vote for the new Assembly Speaker, the court said that the constitutive session which started on April 15 was not conducted in line with the Constitution of Kosovo. The court said that the deadline of 30 days is a constitutional requirement that needs to be met successfully. On the issue of holding a secret vote for the new Assembly Speaker, the court said that the MPs must be present at the constitutive session and vote either in favor, against or abstain. 

Murati: Secret vote does not violate the Constitution (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Finance and MP of the Vetevendosje Movement, Hekuran Murati, said on Thursday that a secret vote on the new Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly does not violate the Constitution and is permitted. Commenting on the decision of the Constitutional Court, Murati said in a Facebook post: “The secret ballot is not unconstitutional and it is allowed. All parties must take part in the forming of the new of the Assembly, especially those that propose members for the presidency of the Assembly. All MPs are obliged to take part in the vote. We have said this from the start, and now the Constitutional Court has also said it. We don’t have to wait for 30 days – a secret vote can be held as soon as tomorrow, and the issue will be resolved,” Murati said in a Facebook post.

Tahiri: Establishment of committee for a secret vote is unconstitutional (media)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri said on Thursday that the Constitutional Court of Kosovo ruled that the formation of a committee for a secret vote on the new Speaker of the Assembly was unconstitutional. He argued in a Facebook post that the court stopped “a dangerous constitutional deviation” and that it “confirmed that parliamentary procedures cannot be used as instruments of political deadlock”.

Tahiri said that the court’s decision “is an important ruling that halts a dangerous constitutional deviation and confirms that parliamentary procedures cannot be used as tools of political obstruction. Since 15 April, the constitution of the Assembly has been blocked—first by the failure of the largest parliamentary group to elect its candidate for Speaker, and then, since 30 April, by the insistence on an unconstitutional proposal that blocked continuation of the session”.

Haradinaj: Court created a legal basis to emerge from deadlock (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said on Thursday that with its ruling the Constitutional Court of Kosovo has created a legal crisis to emerge from the political deadlock. In a Facebook post, Haradinaj called on all MPs, regardless of their political affiliation, to implement the decision of the court to form the new assembly within 30 days.

Haliti calls for constitution of Assembly (Telegrafi)

Former MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Xhavit Haliti commented on delays to constitute the new Kosovo Assembly, saying that the situation is damaging Kosovo’s democratic functioning and economic development. “I think it is wrong for the constitution of the highest body of the state to take so long. The process needs to be accelerated, and a formula must be found to functionalize the Assembly. Because without an Assembly the new government cannot be formed, and without an Assembly and a Government there are many projects incoming, including donations from the EU and the US, and also loans that serve the economic development of Kosovo. All these cannot be adopted in the Assembly and they remain blocked,” he said.

Haliti also voiced concerns over the situation in the north of Kosovo. “The situation especially in the north of Kosovo is not good, knowing that Vucic’s army is at the border it is not healthy for the country or any other person in Kosovo to be without institutions,” he argued.

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture to run for Mitrovica mayor (media)

Most news websites reported on Thursday that caretaker Minister of Agriculture Faton Peci will run for Mitrovica mayor in the upcoming local elections in October.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: 1999 bombing was precedent that is now coming back like boomerang (Tanjug)

At the opening of an international student forum titled Freedom and Sovereignty of Nations in the XXI Century, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said it was very important to build good relations also with smaller and not so powerful countries, and noted that the bombing of the-then Federal Republic (FR) of Yugoslavia in 1999 was a global precedent that was now "coming back like a boomerang", Tanjug news agency reported.

Until recently, everyone in the modern world was referring to some kind of law and principles, even as they were consciously breaching them, he said. "But there was some kind of moral obligation to justify an action of attacking a country, any unlawful action carried out in the international arena. To show that they have found a sufficient reason to do something and that they have aligned that with legal norms, even if that was not quite true", Vucic said.

"Starting from 1999, Serbia, and FR Yugoslavia, were a precedent at the time, but one that did not resonate strongly around the globe because the so-called liberal world, the Western hemisphere, was so dominant politically and economically that no one could be heard, and no one could even think that, one day, it would come back like a boomerang and, today, it is coming back", Vucic noted. "Today, 26 years on, there are no justifications anymore, nothing", he said. There are even no rules, and no one even tries to give an explanation when they attack someone, Vucic added.

Djuric: Presence in OAS important for our economy, support in UN (media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said on Thursday participation in the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly session in St Johns, Antigua and Barbuda, was very important for Serbia both when it comes to economic cooperation and to safeguarding the country's national interests. Serbia has permanent observer status in the OAS, Tanjug news agency reported.

Djuric said Serbia spoke in a very clear voice in terms of respect for the UN Charter and a need for states to be able to freely pursue their respective domestic and foreign policies, regardless of their size. "It is important that we have critical support from countries in the UN General Assembly, where decisions are made about Kosovo and Metohija as well as about all other topics that are important for us", Djuric said, adding that having a developed network of friendships beyond the European continent was a comparative advantage for Serbia.

"A very large number of countries that are against war have gathered here, many countries that advocate respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia as well as all other countries in the world. There are many countries here that think about global challenges and problems similarly to the way we do", Djuric also said.

Serbian MFA: On this day UN Charter was signed, Serbia remains committed to its principles (Kosovo Online, social media)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia marked the anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter on Thursday, emphasizing that sovereign equality and the principles of territorial integrity are values on which the future development of humanity must also be based.

The Ministry said in a post on its X official account that the UN Charter was signed on this day (June 26) in 1945 in San Francisco - an act that laid the foundations of modern international relations and multilateral cooperation. “By marking this anniversary, the Republic of Serbia once again reaffirms its commitment to the United Nations system and the principles of the Charter”, the statement reads.

It further highlights that sovereign equality, the principle of territorial integrity, the peaceful resolution of disputes, the renunciation of the use of force, as well as the enduring foundations of global peace - stability and dialogue - are values on which the future development of humanity should rest.

Kosovo Constitutional Court sets 30-day deadline to complete Assembly’s inaugural session (KoSSev)

Kosovo Constitutional Court has ruled that the inaugural session of the ninth legislature of the Assembly must be concluded within 30 days at the latest, KoSSev portal reported.

The Court’s decision, issued yesterday, comes after the 37th failed continuation of the Assembly’s constitutive session, which began on April 15. The ruling was prompted by a request submitted by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) on May 12, questioning the legality of forming a commission for secret voting during the session.

In a unanimous decision, the Court declared the request admissible and ruled that the extended session process, spanning from April 15 to May 12, did not comply with constitutional provisions. It stressed that the 30-day timeframe is a constitutional obligation and must be fulfilled by electing the Assembly’s president and vice presidents. The Court rejected AAK’s request for interim measures and instructed the Assembly to publish the decision in the Official Gazette. The ruling has immediate effect. The leader of AAK, Ramush Haradinaj, welcomed the decision.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/nf66Q

Vucic hopes he won’t have to demonstrate state force because of ‘someone’s violence’ (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he hopes the state will not have to “demonstrate its force because of someone’s violence” during Saturday’s protest in Belgrade organized by student protesters, N1 reported.

Regarding the recent arrests of several people for allegedly planning violence during Saturday’s protest, Vucic said it is “important that state bodies preventively do everything necessary to prevent more serious forms of violence”.

“In the end, it all comes down to violence: whether they will break into the park to beat real students, occupy state institutions, destroy EXPO. I hope we won’t have to intervene and demonstrate state force because of someone’s violence. We have managed to avoid that so far, and then there will be plenty of time for accountability of all those who have committed crimes against Serbia”, Vucic told reporters in Belgrade after participating in the international student forum titled Freedom and Sovereignty of Nations in the 21st Century.

Education Workers’ Union calls on educators to participate in June 28 student protest (N1)

The Independent Union of Education Workers of Serbia (NSPRS) called on employees in educational institutions to actively participate in the student protest on June 28 in Belgrade, starting at 6 pm at Slavija Square, N1 reported.

“The solidarity and engagement of the entire academic community is necessary, from students and pupils, educators and teachers, to university professors, in order for Serbia to break free from the clutches of an autocratic, criminalized and corrupt system of government”, NSPRS said.

The Union also said that June 28 is an opportunity to show en masse that there will be no backing down from advocating for a free, legally regulated, modern and democratic state, “because without such a state, the education sector cannot be properly improved and organized”.

International 

Kosovo public institutions fined €110,000 for violating citizens’ privacy (PI)

Several public institutions in Kosovo have been fined thousands of euros for unlawfully publishing the personal data of citizens online, raising concerns about data protection practices and accountability in the public sector.

Kosovo’s Information and Privacy Agency, AIP, has fined public institutions - including municipalities, universities, and state agencies - a total of 110,000 euros for violating citizens’ privacy. These violations include unauthorized online publication of personal identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses, and even medical diagnoses.

The AIP press office told Prishtina Insight that “penalties were imposed because these institutions published personal data online, including sensitive categories of [personal] data, without a clear and valid legal basis to justify such processing.”

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/nJxXU