Kosovo Minister of Local Government Administration Ljubomir Maric said that the municipalities with Serbian majority in northern Kosovo might be closed in the case that additional funds from the Kosovo budget are not provided. Maric said that the budget circular by the Kosovo Ministry of Finance, delivered to the municipalities in northern Kosovo, indicates insufficient allocations for the normal functioning of the municipalities. He added that this is in total contrast with the integration that is expected, and stemming from the Brussels process.

After receiving guarantees from Pristina, according to which the Ministry of Finance will compensate for deficit caused by municipality work throughout the year, the Councillors have supported a budget that is 1,653,790 euros less than last year.

Although, the Mayor of Mitrovica North, Goran Rakic has his doubts about the promises made by Pristina, he says embassies in Pristina have the same document, and that they are guarantors of this letter.

A North Mitrovica municipal session was interrupted yesterday, upon proposal of Mayor Goran Rakic, so that councilors could receive written guarantees from Pristina that the budget for 2016 would be the same as for the previous year.

MP and Chairperson of the Social-Democratic Party’s executive board, Goran Bogdanovic, stated that Serbia made too many concessions when it came to northern Kosovo, and added that he was aware of certain agreements that should have been reached as he used to be a former Minister for Kosovo.

Yesterday the Management Board of the Development Fund awarded almost EUR 1.9 million for projects in municipalities in northern Kosovo. The Leposavić/Leposaviq municipality will receive over a million EUR, North Mitrovica will receive EUR 400.000 and Zvečan/Zveqan  will receive EUR 450.000.

In spite of the predictions and speculations on elections in Serbia made so far, they have not been called yet. In their speculations, politicians have made it clear that parliamentary elections, once they have been called, will be organized in Kosovo and Metohija, following the exact method used in 2014 when they were facilitated by the OSCE.

Yesterday, officials of the Kosovo Customs and Kosovo Police confiscated machines owned by Belgrade company ‘Magistrala’, which maintains and cleans around 80 kilometers of roads in northern Kosovo. They confiscated five trucks, a snow plow truck and a vehicle. On the eve of the next round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels this information has created additional turmoil.

The role of the NGO sector in northern Kosovo is significant and it is one of the biggest local employers, was said during the debate that was organized in Mitrovica's social club, by the NGO "Aktiv". As stated, at this point the NGO sector in the north of Kosovo has between 6 and 10 million euros while 2,000 people were involved in the civil sector from 1999 until today.

Serbia is preparing to deploy its customs officers at the boundary line with Kosovo and already at the beginning of March this year. This will be done due to the smuggling in the North.

A Serbian confidential source told Tesheshi.com that the Government of Serbia made the decision after facing a lot of non-compliance with the procedures and smuggling carried out in the North, and it affects Serbian producers, whose products, through illegal routes, are returning back to Serbia.

Last night in Mitrovica, the Patriotic Block has started with signing of the petition which will be forwarded to the Assembly of Serbia, the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic, in order to organize local elections in northern Kosovo. The Patriotic Bloc was made up of parties Dveri and the Democratic Party of Serbia, as well as the group of most prominent Serbian intellectuals.