Kosovo Police Take Control of Serbian National Employment Service Building in the North

Kosovo Police, on the orders of local authorities in North Mitrovica, on May 16th took control of a building used by the National Employment Service, which operates within the Serbian system.

This action is part of a series of actions taken in recent days, during which Kosovo authorities, with the help of the police, have taken control of the premises of the Public Municipal Enterprise "Ibër Water Supply", the sports gym, the city museum and several other institutions that operate in the Serbian system.

Official authorities in Pristina describe them as parallel and illegal structures.

Since the beginning of 2024, dozens of such Serbian institutions have been closed, including provisional municipal bodies, post offices, banks, social work centers, and others.

The Serbian List – the largest Kosovo Serb party that enjoys the support of Belgrade – has reacted by declaring that the “intrusion” into the premises of the National Employment Service constitutes a “direct attack on one of the fundamental human rights”.

The statement also states that by closing Serbian institutions, Kosovo is trying to "destroy the presence of the Serbian state with the aim of intimidating, marginalizing and expelling the Serbian people."

The Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, said that tens of thousands of citizens depend on the National Employment Service and that the Kosovo authorities "are aiming to persecute the Serbian people and incite conflicts."

Meanwhile, members of sports clubs that had used the facilities of the closed sports gym in North Mitrovica protested on May 16, demanding the return of the spaces so that they can continue their activities.

Several representatives of the Serbian List also participated in the rally.

The young people, who were mostly accompanied by their parents, stated that they were being "denied the right to practice sports and participate in activities."

On the other hand, the Municipality of North Mitrovica announced that the sports gym is functional and that all those interested in using it should contact the persons responsible for scheduling appointments.

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo has expressed concern about recent actions by Kosovo authorities, which it says are negatively impacting the provision of services to non-majority communities.

"The closure of these institutions, without sustainable alternatives, without the involvement of the local community and without an institutional transition, seriously jeopardizes access to basic services for non-majority communities," the mission's response states.

Even the French ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, on May 15 reiterated concern about "the numerous actions of the Kosovo authorities against structures led by Serbia, which provide services to the Serbian community."

“The issue of these structures must be resolved through EU-mediated dialogue. These actions send a negative signal to Kosovo’s partners. France is closely following the impact of these decisions on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs,” Guerot wrote on the X network.

Other Western countries have also previously expressed concerns about the closure of Serbian institutions without first providing any alternative solutions for the provision of services. REL