Representatives of Serbs in Kosovo institutions are united in the position that their further participation in Kosovo institutions would be pointless, in case the key agreement on the Community / Association of Serb municipalities (ZSO) will not be implemented.

In late October, the Kosovo Government approved a draft budget for next year, which amounts to approximately one billion euros. The draft budget which was approved caused dissatisfaction of the opposition and representatives of Serbs in the Kosovo Government.

Coordinator of the team for the establishment of the Community / Association of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), Ljubomir Maric, said that the decision of the Kosovo Constitutional Court to suspend part of the Brussels agreement related to the ZSO is a bad message.

Deadline for the text of the statute of the Community/Association of Serbian municipalities (ZSO) is four months, as agreed in Brussels; Vecernje Novosti reported that it should be ready much earlier.  

Ljubomir Maric, Minister of Local Government Administration in Kosovo, announces that preparations for the statute of the Community / Association of Serbian municipalities commenced. The statute will be drafted in cooperation with lawyers and a team of international experts and first version will be ready soon.

Removing the Peace Park from the main Mitrovica Bridge now depends exclusively on the establishment of the Community/Association of Serbian Municipalities, as reported yesterday by Zeri, saying that this was the position of Serbian officials, as well as that the question of solving the Peace Park currently was blocked. The newspapers also reported that it will be a part of a package of agreements on four points.

Minister of Local Government Administration and representative of the Serbian list in the Kosovo government Ljubomir Maric paid a two-day visit to Zagreb. With the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusic, Maric spoke about the possibilities of cooperation, as well as the Community / Association of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO) and its concept for which he requested support.

In case Pristina do not agree to the proposed text on the Community / Association of the Serb municipalities (ZSO), on the next round of Brussels talks, the representatives of the Serbs in Kosovo institutions could consider the option of “freezing” participation in the Assembly and Government.

The ministers in the Kosovo government, for the Administration and Local government, Ljubomir Maric and for Communities and Return Dalibor Jevtic, the Mayor of the municipality of Strpce/Shterpce Bratislav Nikolic agreed today that the Community of Serbian municipalities has to be formed and in a way so it can most efficiently protect the Serbian people in Kosovo.

The ministers with Nikolic have discussed the situation in the municipality, the development plan and Community/Association of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo.

Ljubomir Maric,Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government in the government of Kosovo, talked with representatives of the municipalities of Novoberde/Novo Brdo and Kamenice/Kamenica about the sustainable development, decentralization and functioning of local authorities on Wednesday.

Maric also discussed with local officials the strengthening of local self-governments, the issue of cadastral zones and municipal boundaries.