PRISTINA, Kosovo — On Wednesday, authorities in Kosovo announced the closure of all parallel institutions associated with the country’s ethnic Serb minority, which have been financially backed by Serbia. This action has been met with disapproval from the European Union.
The shut-down services include local administrative offices, as well as postal and tax agencies operating in ten municipalities populated by ethnic Serbs. Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla proclaimed that with this decision, the chapter concerning Serbia’s unlawful parallel structures in Kosovo has been officially closed.
The European Union noted that the status of these Serbian-backed organizations was supposed to be settled through ongoing discussions aimed at normalizing the relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The relationship has been strained ever since Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, a declaration that Serbia continues to contest. This declaration followed a 78-day NATO bombing campaign that concluded a conflict between Serbia and ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.
The EU also voiced concerns, indicating that Kosovo’s recent closures of the Serbian-supported institutions during the campaign period for the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 9 contradicts its commitments to the European Union under the normalization process.
These closures may potentially bolster Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s position in the upcoming elections. Kurti has often pursued actions characterized as ‘patriotic,’ though they have raised warnings from the EU and the United States about escalating tensions with ethnic Serbs and Serbia itself.
In response, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic assured that ethnic Serbs residing in Kosovo would not face job losses resulting from the closure of Serb-controlled institutions. He mentioned that these individuals would continue to receive their income, maintained by support from Serbia. Vucic also hinted at possible significant changes in the region once Donald Trump assumed office in the United States, suggesting it may lead to a reduction in Washington’s backing for Kosovo as anticipated by some in Serbia.
Mirolasv Lajcak, the EU’s special representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, revealed that the Serbian delegation had boycotted a recent meeting in Brussels, citing the latest developments in Kosovo as the reason. The dialogue, facilitated by the EU and initiated in 2011, has not made substantial progress.
Ivan Milojevic, a Serbian postal worker in Gracanica—an area largely populated by ethnic Serbs—complained that the closures are part of a campaign tactic by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, aimed at pressuring the Serbian community before the upcoming elections.
Furthermore, Kosovo has accused Serbia of plotting to seize its northern territories as well as carrying out sabotage against local water systems, accusations that Serbia has denied.
Last year, Kosovo’s government enforced a ban preventing banks and financial institutions in the four northern municipalities, where Serbs make up a majority, from processing transactions in any currency other than the euro. Furthermore, Kosovo had also previously closed Serb-run institutions in five additional municipalities.
According to data from last year’s census, ethnic Serbs constitute about 2.3% of Kosovo’s total population of approximately 1.6 million. Nonetheless, the Serb community boycotted the census, disputing these figures and asserting they are underrepresented.
Both the EU and the United States have been urging both Kosovo and Serbia to comply with the agreements made two years ago, which included Kosovo’s commitment to forming an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities, while Serbia was expected to offer some form of de facto recognition of Kosovo’s sovereignty.
