Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 321 new cases, five deaths (media)
• Ministry of Health insists it has secured Pfizer vaccine (media)
• Vetevendosje says Constitutional Court ruling is not about Kurti (Koha)
• CEC announces a ten-day campaign for extraordinary elections (media)
• Rama: Two KSF units to be deployed to peacekeeping missions (RFE)
• Petkovic's visit clashes PM Hoti and FM Haradinaj-Stublla (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• 13 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Over 30 families from Mitrovica North got new apartments on Christmas Eve (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Serbia is doing its best to strengthen health care system in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Specialist Prosecution: Thaci undermined court, we are not in favor of lifting detention (Radio KIM)
• Vucic: Serbian people face hard challenges (N1)
• Fabrizi hopes Serbia could open more chapters in 2021 (N1, Blic)
• Serb house in Babin Most burglarized (KIM Radio)

Opinion:

• Stop using the Balkans as a synonym for chaos (Prishtina Insight)

International:

• Balkans feel abandoned as vaccinations kick off in Europe (AP)
• Thirteen countries call on EU to support Eastern Partnership vaccine efforts (EurActiv)
• Serbia Starts Inoculations With Russia's Sputnik-V Vaccine (RFE)
• COVID vaccine: EU orders 300 million more BioNTech-Pfizer doses (DW)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kosovo: Infant-toddler centres and preschools are not yet a priority (Balcanicaucaso)

   

Albanian Language Media 

  COVID-19: 321 new cases, five deaths (media)

321 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths have been recorded in Kosovo over the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, 564 recoveries have been reported over the same time period. Ministry of Health insists it has secured Pfizer vaccine (media)

Kosovo's Ministry of Health has issued a statement confirming that it has secured 535,000 doses of the Covid vaccine from Pfizer. 

"In addition to the Pfizer vaccine, as was announced this week, another 600,000 vaccines have been secured through Austria while a further 720,000 doses will be received free of charge from the COVAX mechanism. The first vaccines against COVID-19 will arrive in Kosovo in February," the Ministry said.

Several media outlets reported today that representatives of the Pfizer/BioNTech did not confirm whether an agreement with Kosovo Government was reached citing confidentiality.

Vetevendosje says Constitutional Court ruling is not about Kurti (Koha)

The Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) has reiterated that the ruling of the Constitutional Court on the validity of MP Etem Arifi's vote on the election of the current government of Kosovo does not ban the party leader, Albin Kurti, from running in upcoming elections now announced for 14 February.

In the ruling published in entirety this week, the Constitutional Court stated that persons convicted of a criminal act are not eligible to run for election and many have interpreted this as a ban for VV's Albin Kurti and Albulena Haxhiu, both of whom were convicted for release of tear gas in the Assembly.

LVV spokesperson Perparim Kryeziu commented on Facebook: "We have addressed the Constitutional Court with a specific case and issue. We asked for its opinion on our claim that the Hoti Government is illegal having been elected through the vote of Mr. Etem Arifi, who, according to us, did not have a mandate as a deputy because he was previously convicted of a criminal offense carrying a more than one year imprisonment sentence. The court, in this case, could have done two things: confirm our claim or reject it. It confirmed our claim, saying that Mr. Etem Arifi did not have the mandate of a deputy because he was sentenced to imprisonment, therefore the government, with whose vote it was formed, is illegal. From this moment on, it has made it clear that from now on any individual sentenced to imprisonment for more than one (1) year in the last three (3) years, can not be an MP. That's it!" 

He continued that Albin Kurti and Albulena Haxhiu were not the subject of the Constitutional Court review and furthermore, none of them was sentenced to imprisonment. As a result, Kryeziu said, both will be part of the LVV's election ticket.

CEC announces a ten-day campaign for extraordinary elections (media)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has decided that the campaign for upcoming elections will begin on 3 February and end on the 12th. 

The CEC also announced that certification of political parties will be open from 8-21 January while the draw determining the positions of parties in the ballot paper will take place on 1 February.

Early parliamentary elections are set to take place on 14 February.

Rama: Two KSF units to be deployed to peacekeeping missions (RFE)

The Kosovo Security Force is expected to deploy its first peacekeeping mission abroad in March of this year, confirmed for Radio Free Europe, KSF Commander, Lieutenant General Rrahman Rama.

"We have two options: Kuwait and Iraq but we expect a confirmation very quickly. No matter how symbolic, our participation is very important for the KSF and for Kosovo," Rama said.

Unnamed officials however told RFE that the option of Iraq deployment is less likely to happen since the country has not yet recognised Kosovo.

Petkovic's visit clashes PM Hoti and FM Haradinaj-Stublla (Klan)

The visit of the head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, to Kosovo for the Orthodox Christmas celebrations has led to a clash between the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti and Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla, Klan Kosova reported.

On 5 January, Haradinaj-Stublla said she instructed the Kosovo Liaison Office to reject Petkovic's request to visit Kosovo on a number of justifications, including the unauthorised delivery of Covid vaccines to the north by Serbia. However, Haradinaj-Stublla's instructions were overruled by a higher authority, that of Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti.

Hoti's chief of staff Ardita Dushi refuted Haradinaj-Stublla's version of events. Dushi said the permission to Petkovic was issued in full coordination between the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.  

   

Serbian Language Media

  13 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)

13 new cases of Covid-19 infection and three deaths were registered in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced yesterday, Radio KIM reports.

At the same time 46 people have completed a two-week isolation period.

Deceased persons were from Mitrovica North, Zvecan and Leposavic.

Out of 40 tested samples, 13 were positive. The new cases were registered as follows: four in Mitrovica North, four in Zvecan, three in Zubin Potok and two in Leposavic.

At the moment there are 436 active cases of Covid-19 in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

A total of 91 people have died due to Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo. 

Over 30 families from Mitrovica North got new apartments on Christmas Eve (KoSSev)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director, Petar Petkovic handed over the keys of 36 apartments – out of a total of 96 apartments built last year, to young married couples from Mitrovica North on Thursday, KoSSev portal reports.

Petkovic conducted a ceremony of official handover of the keys of one of the eight recently built residential buildings in Mitrovica North.

“There is no better present for the state of Serbia than to see the smiles on the faces of these wonderful people today, on Christmas Eve, to whom we handed over the apartments’ keys,“ Petkovic said  in front of a residential building in Luja Braja Street.

Petkovic recalled that in 2020, in addition to these buildings built in Mitrovica North, five more buildings were built in Leposavic, two in Zvecan, and three in Zubin Potok. The value of the investments amounts to RSD 330 million.

See at: https://bit.ly/38mdTmx Petkovic: Serbia is doing its best to strengthen health care system in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic concluded his two-day visit in Kosovo by visiting the Health Center in Donja Gusterica, which recently received a new ambulance equipped with all necessary devices, thanks to the funds of the Office for KiM, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Petkovic pointed out that health workers in Kosovo were the real heroes who have carried a heavy burden in the fight against coronavirus in the previous year.

“Precisely because of that, the state of Serbia is doing everything to help the health system here, but also in all other places. President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that 2021 will be a year in which we will further strengthen the health system of the Republic of Serbia, because as we saw, the most important thing is people’s health”, Petkovic said.

He pointed out that in addition to the recently donated ambulance, Serbian Government and Office for Kosovo and Metohija would continue to help the health care in Kosovo.

“This is an opportunity to say once again that the state of Serbia has earmarked six million euros for the construction of a new hospital in Gracanica, which is three times the amount originally planned. That sufficiently illustrates how much the state of Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic care about the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and just as we are doing everything to strengthen the health system in central Serbia, we are also making efforts to do so in Kosovo and Metohija without making any differences”, he said.

According to him, the fight against the coronavirus in Serbian communities was under control, which speaks sufficiently about the training of health workers, but also the capacities that the system had to deal with such difficult situations.

Director of Clinical-Hospital Center in Gracanica, Bratislav Lazic said that the visit of Petar Petkovic and his stay on Christmas with the Serbs in Kosovo was another proof that the state of Serbia was with its people.

He emphasized that the functioning of the health system in Serbian communities was very stable.

“It did not happen by chance, but it is a direct consequence of the great care, attention and organization that the state of Serbia with all its important structures realizes and provides to us. We function very well with medicines and everything that was needed, especially in the period of COVID epidemic, and that is why we managed to achieve decent results in suppressing the epidemic and treating our population”, Lazic said.

Specialist Prosecution: Thaci undermined court, we are not in favor of lifting detention (Radio KIM)

The Specialist Prosecution based in The Hague opposed the request of former KLA commander and until recently Kosovo President Hashim Thaci's defense to lift detention and allow him to defend in freedom, while the court should make a decision on this matter in the coming days, Radio KIM reports.

In a submission dated December 21, which was made public, the prosecution explained in details how Thaci tried to undermine the work of the Specialized Chambers and the Prosecutor's Office in various ways, stating in details the risks of terminating detention.

The prosecution pointed out that the submissions of Thaci’s defense, which claim that his support, efforts and contributions to establish the court, "were unselfish actions detrimental to his political career", actually ignore his efforts to undermine the court in recent years, when the indictment became a serious threat, and later a reality.

The prosecution recalled that recently, Thaci, as a president, submitted a proposal for constitutional amendments that would "clarify" the time limit (for the work of the court), which the Constitutional Court found unjustified and that it would diminish the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

"Such steps hardly show support for the work of the court, but they speak even more in favor of the contrast between Thaci's public statements of support to the court and his non-public maneuvers," the prosecution's submission states.

The prosecution also made reference to Thaci’s secret letter sent to the US State Secretary Mike Pompeo asking him to propose crucial reforms of the Specialized Chambers that were in the middle of an advanced criminal investigations against the highest KLA members.

This, as the prosecution stated, was not a simple expression of his “legitimate concerns” and Thaci’s support to the court, and Mike Pompeo clearly said that in his response.

The second example, prosecution further said, took place in autumn 2018 when Thaci sent a private request to someone, whose identity was blurred, and the request was immediately rejected.

The prosecution also noted that Thaci on his last day as a president on November 4, pardoned accused members of KLA Shpresim Ukaj and Bekim Silaj convicted for the war crimes which additionally reflects the risks.

At the end, the prosecution said there are still reasons for detention as there is a danger that Thaci might flee in order to avoid the trial, and continue to impede proceedings, including influencing witnesses, victims or associates.

Vucic: Serbian people face hard challenges (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an Instagram post from the Hilandar Monastery on Mt Athos in Greece that the Serbian people face hard challenges but can make Serbia stronger, N1 reports.

Vucic is at the 12th century Serbian Orthodox Church Monastery to celebrate Christmas with the brotherhood. The post included his photograph in front of an olive tree said to have been planted by the monastery’s founder Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja.

“The Hilandar Monastery is magnificent and regardless of the fact that the Serbian people face great and hard challenges I am convinced that together and united we can make our Serbia even stronger and better for all of its citizens”, Vucic wrote adding the traditional Christmas greeting Christ is Born.

Fabrizi hopes Serbia could open more chapters in 2021 (N1, Blic)

The European Union Ambassador in Serbia Sem Fabrizi said Serbia could open more chapters in its pre-accession talks during 2021 if it implements the recommendations in the latest European Commission report, N1 reports.

Fabrizi told Belgrade-based Blic daily the EU Council felt Serbia had not achieved sufficient progress in the key areas such as rule of law, the judiciary, fight against corruption and freedom of expression in 2020, adding the reforms need to be quicker and deeper to open new chapters.

Speaking about the aid provided to Serbia by the EU during the coronavirus pandemic, Fabrizi said the figures are on the side of the EU. He said that more than EUR 100 million had been secured in aid for the economy and health care system and donated large quantities of medical equipment and vehicles as well as funds to employ 200 doctors and nurses. Fabrizi said that EUR 2.6 million aid package had been secured for a cold chain to administer vaccines.

Serb house in Babin Most burglarized (KIM Radio)

Unknown perpetrators have broken into the house of Dejan Vuckovic in Babin Most village near Obilic and stole children’s items, Radio KIM reports citing Serbian public broadcaster RTS.

The burglary took place while Dejan with his wife and children was paying a visit to his relative, representative of the village Goran Dancetovic told RTS. Dancetovic said “no valuable items and money were in the house”. He also said the police came on the spot and opened an investigation.

Dancetovic recalled the house of Dejan Vuckovic was already burglarized in 2018 and the money and valuable items were taken away on that occasion.

Meanwhile, Office for Kosovo and Metohija reacting to the cases, said in a statement “it demands from Pristina institutions to identify perpetrators of this, but also of all other crimes against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija without further delay and punish them the most severely”. 

   

Opinion

  Stop using the Balkans as a synonym for chaos (Prishtina Insight)

Events in Washington DC on Wednesday night saw many commentators reaching for cliches about Kosovo and the Balkans, perpetuating stereotypes that are inaccurate, unfair and fundamentally colonial, writes Aidan Hehir, a Reader (Associate Professor) in international relations at the University of Westminster in the UK. 

As observers scrambled to contrive ever more creative ways to express their amazement at images of mobs storming the Capitol building in Washington DC, many expressed their outrage by arguing that these were scenes usually reserved for “banana republics”, or “the 3rd world.” In particular, some reached for a now familiar trope – this was like something you’d see in the Balkans! 

This sentiment was most succinctly expressed by Balkans correspondent for The Economist Tim Judah who tweeted: “USA has gone full Balkans now.” Exactly what “full Balkans” meant required no further elaboration, and the analogy struck a chord with many for whom “the Balkans” is simply a byword for chaos. 

Indeed, for centuries, “the Balkans” has served as a ready archetype of instability and savagery, repeatedly invoked in political discourse, and indeed popular culture, as a zone of depravity from which the civilised world must recoil. Though an effective discursive ploy, it is lazy, disingenuous and fundamentally colonial. 

See more at: https://bit.ly/3olNaw1    

International

  Balkans feel abandoned as vaccinations kick off in Europe (AP)

When thousands of people across the European Union began rolling up their sleeves last month to get a coronavirus vaccination shot, one corner of the continent was left behind, feeling isolated and abandoned: the Balkans.

Balkan nations have struggled to get access to COVID-19 vaccines from multiple companies and programs, but most of the nations on Europe’s southeastern periphery are still waiting for their first vaccines to arrive, with no firm timeline for the start of their national inoculation drives.

What is already clear is that Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — home to some 20 million people — will lag far behind the EU’s 27 nations and Britain in efforts to reach herd immunity by quickly vaccinating a large number of their people.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2XlWJiG

Thirteen countries call on EU to support Eastern Partnership vaccine efforts (EurActiv)

Thirteen member states on Wednesday (6 January) urged the European Commission to support the Eastern Partnership countries in their efforts to obtain affordable and fair access to the COVID-19 vaccines, according to a joint letter seen by EURACTIV.

In their joint letter, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden demand that the EU “go beyond current initiatives” and “facilitate access to the vaccine to another important part of the European neighbourhood, such as the Eastern Partnership”.

Not a single country from “Old Europe” joined, including the EU founding members, or Portugal, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the Union.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3orasRe Serbia Starts Inoculations With Russia's Sputnik-V Vaccine (RFE)

Serbia has begun inoculations with Russia’s controversial Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine, with top officials getting the first jabs to boost public trust in the shot.

Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin, Parliamentary Speaker Ivica Dacic, and Health Ministry State Secretary Mirsad Djerlek were among the first to receive the Russian shot on January 6.

Russians are already being inoculated with the Sputnik-V vaccine after it was approved by Moscow in August despite a lack of large-scale clinical trials and perceived shortcomings in data to support its safety and efficacy.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3hXp9sW COVID vaccine: EU orders 300 million more BioNTech-Pfizer doses (DW)

The European Union has reached a deal to order 300 million extra doses of COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech-Pfizer, doubling the amount that will be available.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday announced that the bloc had bought up to 300 million additional vaccine doses — on top of 300 million already ordered.

The vaccine — developed in a joint US-German venture — was the first of only two vaccines to be approved for use so far in the EU and was the first to be used in the bloc's inoculation drive that started in late December.

"The European Commission today proposed to the EU Member States to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pfizer, with the option to acquire another 100 million doses," said a statement from the Commission.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2Xm1cSv    

Humanitarian/Development

  Kosovo: infant-toddler centres and preschools are not yet a priority (Balcanicaucaso)

Not all municipalities in Kosovo have their own infant-toddler centre, and the public resources invested in the sector are minimal. Yet, at the Faculty of Education in Prishtina, efforts are being made to train teachers who put the needs of children first.

We talked with Majlinda Gjelaj, professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Prishtina, involved in the Pedakos project dedicated to early childhood in Kosovo.

Q: Can you give us a general overview of preschool education in Kosovo?

Although preschool education is considered the pillar that determines the success of students in their educational path, in Kosovo it is not among the priorities of education policies today.

This is apparent from the unbalanced distribution of preschool institutions across the country – only 23 of Kosovo's 34 municipalities have at least one preschool for children up to the age of six – and the small number of public infant-toddler centres, only 42 in the whole country.

There is also a lack of adequate infrastructures for children of that age and adequate teaching materials.

See at: https://bit.ly/3osQbdU