Serbs in Central Kosovo claim that they are damaged by expropriation of land carried out by the Kosovo government for the sake of construction of the high-way which connects Kosovo with Albania.

Besides the low prices for expropriated parcels of the most fertile land, owners claim that they are damaged and because parts of their parcels are now cut through and inaccessible.

“A high-way section in this part of Kosovo literally goes through all Serbian villages,” said Zivorad Lazic from Kosovo Polje/Fushë Kosovo and added that almost 30 per cent of locals from village Ugljare are left without access to their land, which is their main source of incomes.

Even though the Kosovo government had offered compensation for expropriated land, local Serbs claim that they are damaged because it is about 200 hectares of the most fertile land, and even though some parcels are next to each other they are valued differently from EUR 700 to EUR 2800, whereas there are examples that some parcels are paid even EUR 10.000.

At recent meeting in village Ugljare local Serbs requested that they are compensated either with a fair price for their expropriated land or that other parcels are allocated to them elsewhere.