NATO and EU reinforce contingents in Kosovo ahead of February 9 elections

NATO and the European Union are sending resources to Kosovo for the regular parliamentary elections on February 9.

The Western military alliance NATO said it has sent 200 additional Italian soldiers to Kosovo to strengthen its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, which now has nearly 4,000 troops from 50,000 in 1999, when the mission's soldiers were deployed to the country.

KFOR said it is reinforcing its presence in Kosovo and the Italian infantry brigade "Sassari" will carry out "a series of activities, together with KFOR troops."

This force "will be deployed in response to any significant development in the security situation, including during the election period," KFOR said.

Days ago, NATO chief Mark Rutte also expressed concerns about the election period in Kosovo. He stated that he is in contact with Kosovo and Serbia to ensure that there is no destabilization during the parliamentary elections on February 9.

The parliamentary elections in Kosovo will also be monitored by the European Union, which has announced a mission of 100 observers.

Nathalie Loiseau, a French member of the European Parliament, will lead the bloc's election observation mission. She said the mission highlights "the EU's continued support for Kosovo to further strengthen its democratic governance."

She said the February 9th elections will show the "plurality of Kosovo's political landscape."

This will be the seventh EU election observation mission in Kosovo.

The election campaign, which began on January 11, is being characterized by politically motivated incitement and hate speech, according to non-governmental organizations in Kosovo that monitor the process.

28 political entities and one independent candidate are competing in the February 9 parliamentary elections.

The four candidates for prime minister – Albin Kurti from the Vetëvendosje Movement, Bedri Hamza from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku from the Democratic League of Kosovo, and Ramush Haradinaj from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo – have focused their energies on domestic politics and accusations against each other in the first days of the campaign.

These elections are seen by many as a test of the strength of Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his party, as tensions run high with the Serb minority and neighboring Serbia.

None of them has mentioned the normalization of relations with Serbia as a main commitment.

Tensions have recently increased due to several actions taken by Kosovo authorities in municipalities where Serbs live. On January 15, Serbian institutions were closed in ten Kosovo municipalities after authorities in Pristina said they were illegal institutions.

However, the closure of several parallel municipalities of Serbia, as well as post and tax offices in ten municipalities south of the Ibar, was described with contradictions.

This, after the Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina declared on January 15 that it had not authorized the Kosovo Police to carry out this operation, as there was no official request.

The closure of such institutions by the Kosovo authorities has begun since early 2024.

In addition to the provisional municipal bodies and their public enterprises, the Post of Serbia in the north, the Postal Savings Bank, the Treasury of the National Bank, the Directorate of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, the Administrative District of Mitrovica in Kosovo, and others have also been closed. Mostly, only educational and health institutions have continued to function, which in Serbian areas also operate under the Serbian system.

Serbs in northern Kosovo enjoy the support of Belgrade, which has funded parallel structures there, but has also supported Serbian citizens through pensions and other benefits.

The United States and the European Union have opposed many of Pristina's actions in northern Kosovo, as has the European Union, describing them as uncoordinated actions.

The European bloc has called on Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations within the framework of the Brussels dialogue, saying that normalization is a condition for the countries' advancement towards European integration./REL