Kosovo takes control of another facility in Leposavic

Local authorities in Leposaviq, with the help of Kosovo Police, have taken control of the sports hall in this city, which was operating according to the Serbian system.

The Deputy Mayor of Leposavic, Marina Bogojevic, in a statement to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said that the purpose of the sports hall will not change and that everyone will be able to use it for the same purposes as before.

This is one of a series of actions undertaken to take control of facilities or close down Serbian institutions in Kosovo cities, which Pristina considers illegal and parallel.

Earlier in May, local authorities in North Mitrovica also took control of the city's sports hall, after which it was announced that the hall would remain functional and that those who wanted to use it should contact the people responsible for scheduling appointments.

Kosovo began closing Serbian institutions in early 2024. Initially, the temporary municipal bodies, the Postal Savings Bank, the Post of Serbia, the Pension and Health Insurance Fund, social work centers, public enterprises, and similar institutions were closed.

In the latest wave of closures of institutions operating in the Serbian system, in addition to sports halls, the city libraries, the city museum in North Mitrovica, the Institute for Culture, Youth, Sports and Specialized Services, as well as the Cultural and Artistic Society "Kosovski Bozhur" have also been included.

The Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade, reacting to the action to take control of the building where the sports hall operated in Leposavic, stated that this was done “with the support of some Serbs who serve the interests of [acting Kosovo Prime Minister] Albin Kurti.”

Otherwise, the four municipalities in northern Kosovo are headed by Albanian mayors, after the Serbs – at the initiative of the Serbian List – boycotted the local elections. However, some members of the Serbian community also participate in local government, mainly from the party of Nenad Rašić, the acting Minister for Communities and Returns.

The Serbian List said that taking control of the sports hall in Leposavic is a "serious violation of the daily lives of citizens, especially young people, who are being left without spaces for sports activities, socializing and healthy psychophysical development."

"We want to make it clear that we do not agree with the unilateral and violent actions of the regime in Pristina, and we will not agree with the 'new reality' that Kurti is trying to create in Serbian municipalities through force and weapons," the party said in its response.

The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia has also reacted to this case. This office emphasized that the sports hall facility was built exclusively with funds from the Government of Serbia and that it has been used by hundreds of children for school sports and extracurricular activities, recreation, sports clubs, as well as the Faculty of Physical Education.

"Exams and parts of lectures in the field of physical education were also held in this facility, therefore the hall had a multifunctional importance for this municipality," the announcement said.

The Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government said that "impossible conditions" are being created for the life of the Serbian community in Kosovo, claiming that this is being done with the aim of forcing them to relocate.

In mid-May, the European Union stated that the actions of the Kosovo authorities risk increasing tensions on the ground and negatively impacting the daily lives of local communities as well as Kosovo's international image.

The EU has also called on Kosovo and Serbia to implement the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations, which the parties agreed to in 2023, and to implement without delay and without preconditions all agreements reached in the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by Brussels.

"This also includes the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. Normalization of relations is an essential condition on the European path for both sides," the EU said.

The parties agreed on this association during the dialogue and it was said that it aims, among other things, to regulate the functioning of Serbian institutions, revenues and financing from the Serbian budget./ REL