A year has passed since the local elections in Kosovo; the authorities in municipalities with Serbian majority are not satisfied with the treatment of central Kosovo institutions. The government in Pristina reduces the budget from year to year, so often beside salaries for employees there is no funding for the development of Serbian communities.

During the last census in Kosovo, Serbs have been partially registered. By decreasing the number of inhabitants in the Serbian municipalities, the government in Pristina has reduced their budget.

Government of Kosovo has passed the draft law for 2015 budget that will reach around 1.5 billion euros. According to the acting Minister of Finance, Besim Beqaj, the 2015 budget has a growth of 8 percent compared to that of 2014. Beqaj said next year’s budget will be able to handle all estimations regarding pays raise, compensation for KLA veterans, former political prisoners and capital investments. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the 2015 budget will bring an economic growth of 4.1 percent.

KTV’s editor-in-chief, Adriatik Kelmendi, says that just as the June elections brought no absolute winners, so will the current political situation bring none of the political blocs as absolute winners. In fact, it turns out, elections produced only losers who, unable to form institutions, are risking making the people of Kosovo losers as well. Kelmendi warns that if the situation is not resolved in the next two-three weeks and new elections are announced for no reasons, it means that as of February, there will be no salaries from the Kosovo budget.

The people of Kosovo do not deserve this humiliation by the political structure represented at the Kosovo Assembly, writes the paper in its front-page editorial. The citizens have voted based on their political convictions and the results were acceptable to all, stresses the paper. However, it adds, thirst for power has led to unnatural developments with the political leadership splitting into two blocs and being unable to form new institutions.

While Pristina awaits the government, the Serbian side writes Statute of the Community of Serbian municipalities and is close to the draft, which should be presented to Brussels. To continue political dialogue, however, the other side is needed.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Participation of Serbs in the Kosovo government alongside those who are openly inciting hatred and a cessation of the talks with Belgrade is unacceptable, says the head of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric.

Participation in the Kosovo government alongside all those who are openly calling for thwarting the establishment of the community of Serb municipalities, those who are inciting hatred and a cessation of the talks with Serbia, its institutions and the Serbian people as a whole, is unacceptable, Djuric said on Friday.

Textbooks from Serbia, which were stopped a few days ago from entering Kosovo at Jarinje border point, are already in Kosovo.

The news was confirmed for KosovaPress by representatives of Kosovo Customs. Officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, stressed that the books are already being distributed to the respective schools. They also stressed that this is allowed based on Ahtisaari’s Plan and agreements reached in Brussels, despite the fact that the books are not in accordance with the curriculum of Kosovo.

Ditmar Nitan, Deputy of the German Bundestag from the Social-Democratic Party (CDU), said for Deutche Welle that Serbia could become an EU member the earliest within five years and that at the final stage of its membership, Belgrade will have to face the fact that EU membership is possible only with the recognition of Kosovo.

Asked if Serbia’s membership in EU requires explicit recognition of Kosovo, Nitan answered: “Yes, it has to come to this, but in the end.”

While representatives of the Serbian List announce the requirements for entry into the Kosovo government and partnership in the formation of institutions, political analysts see this as a threat to the strengthening of the influence of Belgrade in Kosovo.

Establishment of the Union of Serbian municipalities (ZSO) outside of the constitutional framework for a number of analysts is a very sensitive matter. But there are those who believe that there should be a general debate on the formation of the association, according to Pristina based newspaper Tribuna.

Government of Kosovo strongly supports the operation undertaken, at the national level, by the Kosovo Police in coordination with the State Prosecution to arrest extremist elements who by their actions have threatened Kosovo’s national security and constitutional order.