UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 27, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

EU to Kurti: Kosovo had 10 years to write a draft statute (Koha)
Bislimi on Serbia’s decision on plates: Masking after failure in Banjska (Klan)
Court rejects Law articles that reduced high salaries of public officials (Koha)
Abdixhiku: Kurti agreed to full and unprecedented autonomy in Kosovo (Telegrafi)
Ombudsperson: We will send Law on Elections to Constitutional Court (media)
Haziri: Resolution of problem in the north, hostage of political motives (KTV)
Police remove six surveillance cameras in Zubin Potok (RTK)
KESCO: Bills are higher because of increased consumption of electricity (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Pristina's prosecutors indict Serb for alleged war crime (Tanjug)
Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija: The decision on the Kosovo plates, a continuation of the creeping capitulation (Danas, Beta)
The Serbian People's Movement to Lajcak, demands and calls presented to react so no new conflicts would not arise (KoSSev)
Tax administration of Kosovo damaged Derikravic for 313,000 euros? (KiM radio)
ProGlas calls protest for December 30, demands annulment of elections (N1)

International Media:

Uncontrolled Sale of Devices Processing Biometric Data Raises Concerns for Privacy in Kosovo (BIRN)
Serbia cracks down on protests amid ‘election fraud’ outcry (politico.eu)
Serbia opposition plans further protests against ‘stolen’ election (ft.com)

Albanian Language Media

EU to Kurti: Kosovo had 10 years to write a draft statute (Koha)

The European Union said on Tuesday that the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities presented by its representatives on October 21 is the best possible option. Responding to a statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti who recently said that he can write a modern European draft statute next year, the EU said that Kosovo had 10 years to do this. “Kosovo had the chance in the last 10 years to present a proposal for the Association. In this advanced phase of the process where the formation of the Association is expected to begin soon, Kosovo needs to present its comments and suggestions to the draft that is on the table,” the EU said.

The EU also said that the draft statute, which was presented to Kurti, is a modern one. “As we’ve said many times, the European draft statute, which was presented to Prime Minister Kurti on October 21 by EU representative Lajcak and the diplomatic advisors to the French President, the German Chancellor, and the Italian Prime Minister, along with the U.S. envoy Escobar, represents a modern European way on how to address the sensitive issue of minority protection. The EU and its partners believe that this is the best possible way to address the issues of both parties. We expect both parties to continue discussions based on this draft,” the EU said.

Bislimi on Serbia’s decision on plates: Masking after failure in Banjska (Klan)

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, reacted on Tuesday to the Serbian Government’s decision to recognize license plates issued by Kosovo authorities, saying that it took 18 months of tensions and barricades to come to the conclusion that was initially proposed by Kosovo.

“For over 10 years, the issue of the license plates was an agreement that was not implemented, and for two years the agreement was used as means for escalation and destabilization,” Bislimi said in a Facebook post. “From the beginning, the position of our delegation in Brussels was clear: we need a permanent solution in line with EU standards and Kosovo’s sole proposal was for Kosovo and Serbia to recognize each other’s license plates in the current model – which are in line with EU standards – and without any changes”.

Bislimi said that “this is an indicator that every destabilization made by Serbia was illogical and unnecessary because we reached the same situation where the license plates have been converted into the existing legal ones and now from January 1 Serbia will recognize them”.

According to Bislimi, “this is not a constructive step by Serbia, but only a masking that they want to use to camouflage the failure in Banjska and the failure of their narrative in Brussels”.

Court rejects Law articles that reduced high salaries of public officials (Koha)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo declared invalid several parts of the Law on salaries in the public sector, while not affecting the salaries that were increased based on this Law. A statement issued by the Court notes that the complaint submitted by the Ombudsperson about the Law on salaries was found acceptable and it concluded that several articles of the law are in opposition with the Constitution. The court has asked the Kosovo Assembly to amend the law within a period of six months.

Read the ruling of the Constitutional Court at: https://shorturl.at/diKLN

Abdixhiku: Kurti agreed to full and unprecedented autonomy in Kosovo (Telegrafi)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader, Lumir Abdixhiku, in an interview with TV Dukagjini on Tuesday commented on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities saying that “Prime Minister Albin Kurti has agreed to a full and unprecedented autonomy in the Republic of Kosovo”.

Abdixhiku argued that Kurti has reversed a dialogue process with Serbia that was centered around mutual recognition by not knowing what he is doing. “The moment you give up on the agenda which included as one of the points the mutual recognition and another important point was the principle that ‘nothing has been agreed until everything is agreed upon’, you opened the door to major consequences,” he said.

“First a draft agreement that doesn’t include mutual recognition, such as the Ohrid agreement, and second a substantial autonomy for the Kosovo Serbs which is this document that we are now calling Association, but it should be called autonomy”.

Ombudsperson: We will send Law on Elections to Constitutional Court (media)

Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj told a press conference on Tuesday that they could send the Law on Elections to the Constitutional Court as the Law on Gender Equality was not included in terms of the electoral lists of the political parties. Qelaj said that the law was passed by the Kosovo Assembly without any public discussion. “The law was passed without including an important aspect defined by the Constitution, which is the Law on Gender Equality,” he said.

Haziri: Resolution of problem in the north, hostage of political motives (KTV)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader, Lutfi Haziri, said in an interview with the TV station on Tuesday that the north of Kosovo “is being used as political food to build political populisms”. He argued that the resolution of the problem of the north is being held hostage for political motives. “The failure to carry out state duties and responsibilities about the agreements, the political agenda and the word he [Prime Minister Albin Kurti] gave in February and March this year, is nothing but an attempt to survive politically in the negotiations and to make one or two step backwards in every situation,” Haziri said.

According to Haziri, the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities which Kurti is expected to accept will very soon lead to changes in the Constitution of Kosovo. “With this draft document, with this behavior of the Prime Minister, the amendment of the Constitution will happen in two to five years. Kosovo will definitely see constitutional amendments,” he said.

Police remove six surveillance cameras in Zubin Potok (RTK)

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told RTK on Tuesday that police removed six surveillance cameras from public spaces in Zubin Potok. He said the legislation in force provides that only Kosovo Police can monitor public spaces. “In this regard, today in Zubin Potok we removed six surveillance cameras, while in the summer of this year we had removed seven other cameras,” he said. Elshani also said that a total of 38 cameras were removed in Mitrovica North this year.

KESCO: Bills are higher because of increased consumption of electricity (media)

Following complaints about high electricity bills on Tuesday, the Kosovo Electricity Supply Company (KESCO) said in a statement that “the increase in the bills in this winter month is a result of increased consumption of electricity, especially by customers that use electricity for hearing. The consumption of electricity at a value higher than 800 kWh is billed with a higher tariff, as noted in the bill presented to the customers,” the statement notes. “Another effect behind higher electricity bills is that in the same period last year, the Government of Kosovo provided subsidies to consumers that saved electricity”.

Serbian Language Media

Pristina's prosecutors indict Serb for alleged war crime (Tanjug)

Kosovo’s special prosecution indicted a Serb for an alleged war crime, reported Tanjug.

The indictment, filed with the basic court in Pristina, said the man, identified as D M, had allegedly "manhandled ethnic Albanian prisoners" in 1998 and 1999, when he was working as a prison guard in Pristina and Lipljan, and "tortured them in an inhumane manner," contrary to the customs of war and the Geneva conventions and additional protocols, reported Tanjug, citing Pristina based media.

Besides "war crimes", the man is also charged with unauthorized possession of weapons.

Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija: The decision on the Kosovo plates, a continuation of the creeping capitulation (Danas, Beta)

The Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija assessed today that the decision of the Government of Serbia, which from January 1 enabled vehicles with Kosovo license plates to move freely in central Serbia, is "another in a series of far-reaching steps of creeping capitulation to the Pristina thugs", reported Danas daily.

The movement assessed that the meaning of that decision was "enabling Kosovo-Metohija Albanians to move freely around the unoccupied rest of Serbia while demonstrating 'Kosovo statehood'".

"While the uncontrolled violence of the illegal Pristina institutions against the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs and their property is in full swing, Serbia, no doubt shamefully and cowardly, 'retaliates' by recognizing one of the important attributes of the fake state that is being created on its territory," the statement of the movement read, reported the daily.

The Serbian People's Movement letter to Lajcak, demands and calls presented to react so new conflicts would not arise (KoSSev)

The newly founded political party "Serbian People's Movement", led by Branimir Stojanovic and Milija Bisevac, sent an open letter to high-ranking EU officials - Miroslav Lajcak and Josep Borrell. They protest, as they say, daily provocations against Serbs in the North by the Pristina authorities. At the same time, they claim that the same modality is repeating the situation from 1999, when "private and social property was usurped, as well as property owned by the SOC (SPC)", but now with the help of "special units, heavy weapons and combat vehicles", reported portal KoSSev.

They also criticize the EU, stating that they are "silent observers", and propose two key steps to change that.

They called for the formation of a working group that would deal with cases of usurpation and non-respect of private property rights.

They also call for the EU to stop the process of "usurpation of private, social and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church under the pretext of expropriation and privatization" until further notice, until this issue is resolved within the dialogue in which this working group would participate independently.

Non-fulfillment of demands and absence of reaction creates fear of new conflicts - "the outcome of which no one can predict", this party says among other things.

Tax administration of Kosovo damaged Derikravic for 313,000 euros? (KiM radio)

To the former owner of the company Lika d.o.o. from Zvecan, Zarko Derikravic, who transferred his share to the company MTS d.o.o., the Tax Administration of Kosovo collected VAT in the amount of 313,000 euros illegally, claims Halil Voca, accountant and representative of the Derikravic family, reported KiM radio.

Company Lika d.o.o. Zvecan (cable operator), which was owned by Bozo and Zarko Derikravic, operated from 2013 until December 10, 2019, when a contract was signed on the transfer of 100 percent ownership to the company MTS d.o.o. for 1,200,000 euros.

Former owner of the company Lika d.o.o. Zarko Derikravic stated that on April 6, 2022, the Tax Administration of Kosovo, as he stated, withdrew money from the account without any written notice, included added value tax (VAT) and capital gains in the amount of 313,000 euros, and only after two months informed him about it.

"Through this, I am asking why VAT was calculated even though they have no legal basis? The tax administration of Kosovo charged VAT on the purchase of shares. I, as a co-owner of the company Lika.d.o.o., duly paid taxes to the Tax Administration of Kosovo from 2013 to 2019," he said.

According to Derikravic, the VAT calculation of the company Lika d.o.o. is a "unique case".

ProGlas calls protest for December 30, demands annulment of elections (N1)

The ProGlas initiative held Monday in Belgrade a media conference at which actress Svetlana Bojkovic read out a statement saying that ProGlas demands a repeat of parliamentary, local, and provincial elections and is inviting people to a protest on Saturday, December 30.

“We demand that new parliamentary, provincial and local elections be held across Serbia within six months, following a fundamental change of the electoral conditions,” said Bojkovic.

She said ProGlas invites all citizens to a peaceful protest on Saturday, December 30, at noon, at the Terazije Fountain in central Belgrade.

Bojkovic said ProGlas fully supports students, condemns attacks on institutions, as well as excessive use of force, and that it calls on the hunger strikers to stop which is harming their health.

ProGlas is a non-party initiative launched on November 7 by a group of concerned intellectuals and public figures who called people to vote in the December 17 elections.

International Media

Uncontrolled Sale of Devices Processing Biometric Data Raises Concerns for Privacy in Kosovo (BIRN)

An investigation by BIRN found that devices processing biometric data circulate freely in the Kosovo market despite the fact that their installation should adhere to strict security standards.

Biometric cameras and scanners, which process data such as facial or fingerprint scanning, are prohibited for use in Kosovo. The only entities allowed to use these devices are security institutions and companies that have notified their staff about the processing of such data.

An investigation by BIRN revealed that there are several stores in the country selling such devices, with final customers not being widely known.

“We import them from China and Spain, and there are some customers who buy them,” sayid one of the sellers in one of the stores in Prishtina.

The seller was unwilling to discuss the sale of these devices in a standard interview. From a previous conversation, it became apparent that he was apprehensive of the potential repercussions that could arise from an article’s publication.

A few hundred meters away, another establishment in the ‘Veternik’ neighborhood in Prishtina admitted to having traded such devices.

“The security institutions use them more, but there are also businesses that buy them,” says the seller.

The seller declined to disclose whether such devices were in stock or their selling prices. Both he and the owner refused interviews, citing their preference to stay out of media coverage.

The import of such devices is allowed; however, their installation is prohibited unless done according to the law.